Tide Pulls A Florida; Time For Gators To Pull a Bama
I honestly don't understand why ESPNU is showing numerous replays of the 2012 BCS Championship Game. Unless you have a two year old child and you want him/her to learn how to count by threes, there's just no point in watching it.
Simply put, Alabama won the ugliest BCS Championship there has ever been. But it still counts as a BCS Championship, and coupled with their 37-21 victory over Texas, Alabama has now won two out of the last three BCS Championships.
Say, that sounds familiar. Wasn't there another team not too long ago that won two out the last three BCS Championships? Specifically a team that wore orange and blue and rode a suffocating defense and dominant special teams to the title?
Yeah, there was. And while Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Chris Leak, Andre Caldwell, DeShawn Wynn, Aaron Hernandez, Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, David Nelson, Riley Cooper, Louis Murphy and a solid offensive line certainly played a big part, it was ultimately defense and special teams that pulled the Gators through in the end- especially against Oklahoma in the second title game. Having an explosive offense is a luxury, not a necessity- look at how Alabama pulled off their two out of three run.
I've always said that I want- and even expect- the Gators to build a dynasty through lights out defense and great special teams, and that the only thing the offense is responsible for is moving the chains, giving the great defense a good rest and then allowing the dominant special teams to boom a punt to pin the opponent inside their 20- the point where I unleash that rested defense on the opponent.
That's been the formula for winning for Alabama under Nick Saban and since Will Muschamp worked under Nick Saban for a while, I expect him to build the Gator program back up in the same fashion as his former boss. Of course, having an explosive offense is nice, but it's a want, not a need. That's the last thing that should be built in Gainesville.
The good news is, this utopian defense I speak of is almost here. An extremely young, talented group with only one senior finished 9th in the nation in total defense last year- and when you remember that Alabama and LSU were on a totally different level than anybody else, it makes that number appear even better.
The special teams is already here. If there's one thing Will Muschamp will keep from Urban Meyer, it's the importance of special teams. Putting your most productive receiver, Andre Debose, as your kick returner and not some scout team nickelback as your kick returner is proof of how much Muschamp cares. There's obviously an injury risk to returning kicks, but then there's the importance of it as well, and for Meyer and now Muschamp, the importance of a dominant kick return game outweighs the risk. Debose has returned 3 kicks for TD's and has 3 others of 50+ yards in basically one full year of returning kicks. Muschamp also had the same deal with Jeff Demps, a valuable offensive player who wound up doing the bulk of his damage on kick returns.
Same goes with using Chris Rainey as a punt blocker. Maybe it had something to with all the kicks he blocked under Meyer, but the more likely explanation is that Muschamp held tryouts for spots on the punt block team all over again since he was very clear that he wanted to tear the program down and build it back up his way".
Look at last night's game to see the importance of the special teams. LSU's weren't horrible, blocking a field goal, but Alabama's was much better. Jeremy Shelley was 5-7 on his field goals, though he did miss a PAT (side note- anybody remember the last time Alabama won a national championship... and didn't miss an extra point in the title game? I'd be interested to find out). Then there was the completely un-Saban like fake field goal executed to perfection, LSU could never return a kick or punt very far due to the Tide gunners staying in their lanes and getting to the ball with lightning quickness and the big punt return by Marquize Maze early to set up an easy field goal.
AJ McCarron exemplified my utopian Florida QB: athletic enough to buy time and escape sacks, plays smart football and doesn't make mistakes, and makes a big play every now and then when he has to. This is what I would like Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Brissett to do initially. If either one turns out to be better than Brett Favre? Great! Then we have the luxury of a great QB. But again, that's not a need. Putting that much pressure on a young QB is not good.
I admit, I am an offensive guy. But defense is what wins championships. Special teams also wins championships. And game controlling, chain moving offenses win championships as well.
See where I'm going?
The Gators are not far away from contending for a national championship. They were in every game they played until the end aside from LSU, and they could have easily beaten Georgia and South Carolina.
The defense returns 10 of 11 starters from a unit that finished in the top 10 in the nation playing against SEC opponents.
Andre Debose, who should be our primary kick returner again in 2012, is only a junior and most of the guys on the return team will be back as well. A lot of our speed returns, and we have new speed coming in to help out with the kick/punt blocks.
The lone question is our offense. Matt Jones should see considerable playing time next year and maybe we'll finally see some of Mack Brown, who has been buried on the bench the past two years. Mike Gillislee, the lone speed back left over from Meyer, should be used to throw teams off as a change of pace back- a change from bruiser to speed demon.
But it all comes down to our offensive line.
We have help coming in, with DJ Humphries, Omari Phillips and Jessamen Dunker, three of the top 15 linemen in the nation. But they'll still be young even if they play, and in most cases, it takes time for young guys to mature in the SEC.
We're really not that far off, though...
(Update- the rumor as of 1:10pm is that Florida is expected to announce Brent Pease as offensive coordinator. But it's just a rumor until proven true, remember. I think he would be a great hire. Expect to see lots of tricks if he comes to town. Again, though, it is a RUMOR).
Steelers Get Tebowned as Denver Regains Magic
There had never been an overtime game in NFL history where a team got the ball after the other team scored- before yesterday. But when Denver and Pittsburgh ended regulation at 23 apiece, it looked like a certainty.
Tim Tebow made sure there still hasn't.
He fired a bullet to Demaryius Thomas, who caught it and outraced a pair of Steelers for an 80 yard touchdown- and the win.
Tebow then flashed a smile that has been missing for the past month, struck what is now known across the globe as the Tebowing pose, and took a victory lap.
He had every right to be happy.
Not only did he send arguably the most prestigious NFL franchise home with an early playoff exit, but he looked like the QB that Josh McDaniels envisioned when he drafted him. In fact, the entire offense looked just like what McDaniels envisioned.
No doubt, it will have to change somewhat for next season. But for now, Denver can ride it for the rest of the season because it produced 367 total yards out of Tebow and 29 points against what was supposed to be the best defense in the NFL.
I missed the first quarter because traffic coming home from the Giants game was bad. It's OK. I turned on CBS just in time to watch Tebow throw a perfectly on target ball to a receiver that Steeler coach Mike Tomlin lamented after the game, wasn't open. Tebow just fit that ball in beautifully.
He threw a bunch more like it, and people everywhere were going, "What's this?" Not Gator fans. WE watched Tebow thread the needle with surgeon like precision to pull off an electrifying comeback against Alabama in the 2008 SEC Championship Game. WE watched Tebow pick apart Oklahoma in the BCS Championship with similarly eerily accuracy a month later. WE watched Tebow pull of comeback after comeback a year later in 2009.
So WE know he's capable of being an NFL QB. Especially with an offseason working with John Elway to fine tune his skills. Yes, he does need work. Here are some things he needs to improve on:
-Throwing on the run to the right side
Tebow is a lefty, and it's naturally harder for him to throw while flushed to his weaker side. But he's going to have to do this if he wants to continue his journey. New England figured it out a few weeks ago, and no doubt they'll try to force him to his right again this week. Pretty soon, all opponents will send overload blitzes off Tebow's left side so there's nowhere to go but right. He needs to be successful enough to force teams to play him honest.
-Accuracy
There were some Aaron Rodgers type throws yesterday. Then, there were also some horrible throws that looked like they were thrown by a 4 year old. Those need to improve. He needs to be more consistent. And even though he was much better than he has been, it's still shaky enough to need improvement. Someday, one of those bad throws could turn into gift TD's- like they did in Buffalo.
-Decision making
Again, this was better yesterday. But just because it was better one week doesn't mean the problem has been completely fixed. He still needs to know when to pull it down and get out of the pocket and when to step up, sacrifice himself and let it go.
All in all, he's been much better in the fourth quarter than the rest of the game. That also needs to change. But it's not a strategical or mechanical problem. That's a mental problem, and if Tebow continues to play the way he did yesterday... and his defense plays well behind him... who says he can't go all the way? The Pats' defense isn't great, and while Baltimore's supposedly better defensively, we thought the Steelers were too. Plus, the Ravens' offense probably won't score a whole lot, regardless of what Terrell Suggs thinks.
And in the Super Bowl?
My bet is New Orleans, and they're beatable with solid defense and a chain moving type of offense. Which Denver has.
So yes, Denver can win the Super Bowl if the Broncos continue to play like this.
Specifically Tebow.
Stop with the nonsense
I am thoroughly convinced they think us idiots.
I am thoroughly convinced that "Thud" is an idiot.
I am going to dissect some recent statements that are disturbing. Nobody expects Wm to have the deftness of a Belichick at this point. However, he's been around enough great minds to know how to keep his mouth shut.
I also will dissect the statement of a guy who has to pretend to be a sycophant, but first, WM >
There are a lot of reports circulating out there about who is going to be Florida's new strength and conditioning coordinator and who might be the Gators' new offensive coordinator.
But the reality is Will Muschamp isn't ready to fill either of the two vacancies on his coaching staff. That was the news from the UF head coach after the Gators' first Gator Bowl practice Tuesday.
“I haven't hired anybody,” he said. “I've talked to a lot of people at the strength position and the offensive coordinator's position. When I make the hire everybody will know. But no one has been hired, no one has been offered a job yet. So, that's it.”
Yeah, take your time Will. Leave the current roster (which has already been decimated by transfers) hanging. Also, leave recruits hanging.
There have been Internet and Twitter reports that Jeff Dillman, who works at IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, is going to be the new strength coach. He previously worked at LSU and Appalachian State.
But Muschamp said Tuesday he's still going through the process of identifying and interviewing prospects for both the strength coach and offensive coordinator positions.
“I still have people I want to talk to,” Muschamp said. “I've talked to probably six, seven, eight people so far. Again some people over Christmas. Some people this week I plan on talking to. Then after the bowl game.
So, you don't know how many people you've talked to ? It's not like you said "we." You said you are the one who has talked to people. Why don't you know how many you've talked to ? Will, you might not think it's a big deal, but as the man who is supposedly running the ship, you should know how many people you've talked to. And, if you don't, say several. This just keeps getting worse every day.
“I've never put a timetable on it because it's the right fit for Florida, it's going to be the best decision for Florida. It's an important hire, both of them are. I've talked to multiple people on both situations.”
Yeah, we heard you say that last year. Right when you also admitted to not being strong on offense and wanting to hire someone strong. Then you meddled and drove him away. Here we are a year later and you're spouting the same thing. Maybe Foley should revisit this and take his time making the right hire for the head job.
Muschamp declined to mention names of potential candidates for both openings.
“No. We're not going to have a public search,” he said. “I've talked to people and their privacy is important to me, too.”
Yeah, is it ever. Like declaring the interim is auditioning for the job ? Everyone knows that's the case but to actually say it in print....
One of the most obvious, and visible, candidates for the offensive coordinator's job is running backs coach Brian White, whom Muschamp named the interim offensive coordinator for the bowl game.
Muschamp praised the work White has done with the offense preparing for the Gator Bowl game against Ohio State.
“I don't know that I've learned anything. I know he's a good football coach,” Muschamp said. “It's reassured my confidence in him as a football coach. He's done a nice job preparing our football team. It's all about situational football and being prepared for those situations when they occur in the game.
Yeah, we know you haven't learned anything Will. As for being prepared, yeah, the hallmark of your tenure thus far is adaptation.
“As a play caller, you've got a knack for that. He did a great job for Barry Alvarez for, I believe, nine years and won a lot of football games. When you've sat in that role it's different than being in a role where you've never been in that situation at a big program, in the light, in the Rose Bowl. And Brian has done that. That's exciting to me.”
You BELIEVE ? Will, would it kill you to do some research before you open your cobbler gobbler please ? Also, he did a great job for Alvarez ? You mean he was a yes man who believed in three yards and a cloud of dust ? So excited for the direction the Mighty Gators are headed in !!!
Muschamp reiterated that the offense has not changed under White — and it will not change whoever he names as the offensive coordinator after the bowl game.
“We're going to remain what we do,” he said. “I like what we're doing offensively. We've just got to be more productive. That's simple. I like what we're doing.”
“There's not going to be a whole lot of change of what we do. Brian's and Charlie (Weis') philosophies are both the same. More than anything, it's my philosophy. It's what I want to be on offense, and that's where we're headed.”
That says it all, doesn't it ? So basically, the next OC has to run an offense not how he believes it should be run, but it must meet the criteria of a DEFENSIVE coordinator. This just keep getting better and better I tell you.
Muschamp said White's experience as a play caller weighed heavily in his decision to turn the offense over to White for the bowl game.
“No question,” Muschamp said. “Everyone has great ideas until they've sat in that chair.
Kinda like hiring an "up and coming" coaching prospect because he managed to miraculously coerce the best athletes in the country to play like.....the best athletes in the country ?
Then they understand the difference. They see the big picture, they understand all the things that go with running an offense or running a defense. No question his experience was very critical in our growth as an offense as we move forward.”
Yeah, sure Will. You mean like last year how you said you were deferring to an expert on O, now you believe you are one ?
Now, we have Pat Dooley. It's pretty obvious what his REAL thoughts are, but he has to placate the loyalists. I will argue against the "myself" entries.>
It shouldn’t be a debate.
But it is.
It wasn’t even being discussed in the Florida coaching offices during the holidays or on the bus ride over to Jacksonville.
“I’m just trying to win this game,” Will Muschamp said. “I don’t want to be 6-7.”
But in the Gator Nation, it was being discussed. And I can see both sides of the argument.
So … discuss.
Me: There is no way I let John Brantley play this game. What’s the point? We’ve seen what he can do. This was a lost season. 7-6 or 6-7, it will go down as the worst season of Gator football since 0-10-1. I’d let the two freshmen play quarterback. Maybe give them each a half.
Myself: Really? What a great message to send to your seniors. You ask for total commitment and then kick a guy to the curb before his last game of his career? Who are you, Todd Graham? Show a little loyalty to a guy who has been a Gator for life. Let him go out with some dignity.
You mean the seniors who are going through the motions, displaying full blown complacency and a sense of entitlement ? Who cares if you alienate them. Perhaps if the benching had come earlier, it would have lit a fire under them that seniors are subject to benching if they don't shape up.
Oh, and let him go out with dignity ? He was given this whole season under Weis, having been given the benefit of the doubt that last year was a scheme issue. When it was apparent that the problem was between the center and the rb, he still remained the QB when healthy. He got his job back and in his last meaningful game as a Gator against their arch rivals, he unleashed his greatest bed shitting to date. The dignity ship has already sailed. Now you're simply advocating allowing him a chance to use a bit of Pepto in the hopes of removing the aftertaste of the vomit he choked on.
Me: Dignity? Behind that offensive line? He’s going to be chucking and ducking all game just like he did all season. I appreciate what Brantley did but he was 14-9 as a starter and six of those wins came against teams that were paid to be practice fodder. He’s under-.500 against real teams. He’s had his chance.
Myself: Look, he still gives Florida the best chance to win this game. He knows the offense and he’s a senior. He’s been through the battles and you know he’ll be fired up to finish with a flurry. He’s as healthy as he’s been since before the severe ankle sprain. I think he has one more big game in him. Don’t forget, this is a team that gave up 40 points to Michigan in its last outing.
Actually, he does not. He has nerves of egg white. He's playing against Meyer's new team. We've seen what happens to him when the pressure is on. The roster is stacked with read option guys. The best chance to win is Driskel running a read option as a one game stopgap.
As for being fired up to finish with a flurry, yeah we saw what happened against FSU in his last meaningful game against his arch rival. Supposing your theory is true, we want to see the ball handed to someone who can only get motivated after they outright shit the bed ?
Me: Yeah, against a mobile quarterback. If you base it on that one game, Florida should let Jeff Driskel have this game. Besides, this game isn’t about the 2011 season. It’s about 2012. It’s time for this program to move forward and out of the stench that was last season. This isn’t the last game of 2011. It’s the first game of 2012.
Myself: I might buy that if we knew who Florida’s offensive coordinator was going to be for next season.
I might peruse the catalog if I thought the HC had a damn clue about what to do.
Me: Well, you’ve heard Muschamp. He wants to have some consistency. He doesn’t want to get away from what they’ve been running this year. So whoever it is will be running a lot of what they will be running in this game.
Myself: So what about the other seniors? You want to bench them as well? That will send a great message to recruits. Come to Florida where we use you up and toss you aside. I mean, have you ever heard of the concept of winning the last game for the seniors?
You know what else sends a great message to recruits ? No matter how unproductive and ineffective upperclassmen are, you aren't playing. Who cares if they practice well and play shitty, you sit. And if there's a legacy player in front of you? Well, you might as well not even bother committing. Save yourself the transfer. Because if you do transfer and go elsewhere and succeed at a high level, they'll call you stupid and accuse you of academic wrong doings while sheltering those who remain. They'll give you hell about owning a stolen laptop while covering for other real law breakers. They'll send you to the salt mines because your father told an outpost they'd have to cough up some cash for his church to get you to consider playing for a hole in the world instead of a national power. They'll do this, as their former QB and All Apple Pie Guy's family did the same thing, having managed to circumvent NCAA rules and obtain funding for their missions.
Yes, come to Florida, where the lazy and spoiled will play no matter what. Where DNA is the only true merit.
Me: Great, go win it for them. But if you want to bench them all it’s fine with me. Except Jaye Howard. Florida is too thin at defensive tackle.
Myself: Nice. So the one body you need will be allowed to play.
Wait, I thought the idea was to win ? What are those banners for ? Hey, let's commission a banner for JB. You are indecisive, and completely lacking awareness. You can't get out of the way of a helium balloon. You are responsible for most of the things that went wrong with your tenure. Have a banner for enduring your own problems.
Me: OK, that came out wrong. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey were a big part of two teams that went 26-2 and won a national title. They’ve earned the right to go out on their terms. This debate was supposed to be about the quarterback.
Myself: Yes and what did you see out of either of the freshmen when they got their chances during the regular season that would make you think they can handle this assignment? Don’t forget, their offensive coordinator is in Kansas.
Actually, as it turns out, the offensive coordinator is still in Gainesville. He's looking for a lapdog to assign the title to so when the heat comes, there'll be someone to take the blame. What did I see from the freshmen ? Nothing, really. But I did see the same thing people talked about last year with JB being in the read option. What we do know is you have a read option qb on a roster still stacked with read option players. Oh, I don't know, maybe try to win the game with what you have ?
Me: I’m not saying that Brantley isn’t the best option to try to win the game. I’m just wondering if it’s the best way to get started on next season.
Myself: This isn’t about next season. Next season starts Jan. 3. Do you really want to see this team go out with a losing record?
Actually, yes, if it serves a greater purpose. A win with JB further deludes the masses because it will just bring forth a bunch of "what if" nonsense. Or, are you under the impression that winning an exhibition game against an out of conference team somehow overshadows losses to FSU, SC and UGA, nevermind LSU Bama and Auburn ? This is Florida. 6-6 overall, 3-5 conference record finishing 7th overall and 3rd in the weaker of two divisions, ONE game better than Vandy IS a losing season.
Me: I’m just not so sure it can win with its senior quarterback. And because I’m not sure, I’d just as soon watch the other guys play and give them experience.
Myself: We’ll just have to agree to disagree. By the way, you have chicken wing sauce on your shirt.
Will Muschamp ? Will Mustgo ? Willyou Justgo ?!?!
Give him a chance. That's what we hear. Give him a chance.
From him we hear "it's Florida, we'll be fine"
Some benefit of the doubt was given first to Brantley, then to WM. Why ? Personnel. You know, a roster full of read option guys trying to play "pro style."
We heard about Weis' so called stubbornness with regards to play calling.
I call bullsh*t. It's all on WM. We heard about tension with him and Weis. We heard about him meddling. We've seen, since Weis left, him reiterate his "preference" which is loosely translated to an unwavering desire to be a boring Saban clone.
Here's the kicker - while the Wet Tissue, Daddy's Boy Brantley, was injured, what happened ? Nothing. Nothing at all. Driskel was injured at one point but then was demoted.
Brisset showed more poise, but here's my issue and it's the crux of the matter with Muschamp - he had a roster full of read option personnel and he had a read option QB sitting on the bench. Why the F*CK didn't he use him ? Are you f'ing kidding me ? Maybe Driskel sh*ts the bed even running the read option. However, what we know is he showed a lack of poise running a "pro style" offense just like JB did running a read option.
What ever happened to going to battle with what you have ? He had an OC with multiple SB rings, one of the most decorated minds in the history of the sport, who made a name for himself by using a philosophy of planning game to game, rather than using one system and sticking to it. Yet, the wonderful mind of Florida's head coach, instead of tweaking the style to accommodate what he had on hand, insisted on forging ahead.
Adazzio took a lot of heat for doing the same thing but there's one key difference - Adazzio didn't actually didn't have the proper personnel to really fall back on, hence the Reed/Burton makeshift plan. Muschamp DID have the players in reserve. Yeah, JD was a true freshman, but the beauty of the read option is the running component simplifies it enough so that a true can come in and not be subject to as much of the usual "nerves" symptoms that a tosser is subject to.
So, yeah, it's all on WM. I want him gone yesterday. I don't care about being patient - Florida is not the place for OJT; get the OJT at FIU or FAU or some other kiss your sister program.Remember when VP Biden said about Obama that the Presidency isn't something that lends itself to on the job training ? People kind of forgot about that since BO named him his running mate. Same idea applies here.
The powerhouses are for powerhouse coaches, not some first time head coach whose only real accomplishments have been crafting top flight defenses with the best defensive players in the country. So basically, because he didn't shit the bed we're supposed to believe he's a brilliant mind ? Gary Patterson is a brilliant mind. Sorry, I just can't help but think of Chris Rock's "low expectation" skit.
Praising Will Muschamp for creating productive defenses with 4 and 5 star athletes is like hailing Greg Knapp as a good OC because he scored points with Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Ben Tate and Arian Foster. You're not a good mind at all; you simply have to NOT f*ck it all up and you'll be good simply by happenstance.
When you stop and think about it, there's really only one way to see it - WM is more interested in doing it "his way" than winning games and/or developing players. He had the means to adjust, but didn't. So in other words, he'd rather do it his way and lose, than adjust and deviate and possibly win.
John Elway and John Fox caught major shit from people on here for SAYING Tebow needs to change, while actually using a playbook tailored to his skills and yet, I still see a lot of silence in calling for WM's head for doing the very thing people feared Fox and Elway TALKED about doing, all because it's his first year.
I’m Not Pissed at Urban
This article is certainly a little late, but it's something I've been meaning to share, and with the impending Gator Bowl matchup on the way I'm sure this will once again be an ongoing news story as January 2nd approaches.
A lot of Gators feel betrayed by Urban, and feel that they were lied to. This quote gets brought up often...
"But what I didn't want to have happen, and I made this clear to Jeremy [Foley], if I am able to go coach, I want to coach at one place, the University of Florida. It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach. I don't want to do that. I have too much love for this University and these players and for what we've built."
-Urban Meyer, upon retiring from Florida.
How often? In order to find the exact quote, I simply googled "Urban Meyer quote gators" and it was the first two results to come up.
It is a pretty damning quote, I will readily admit that. From an outside perspective (which is all any of us have), we basically have a guy who says "uh, yeah I'm sick and want to spend some time with my family, but I'm a Gator and I always want to be a Gator and never want to wear any other colors" who then comes back a year later donning those ugly ass silver and red colors.
Both Urban and his wife Shelley claim that when he left he really had the intention to stay away for good, but the itch was just too much. She recollects the walk they had together where he told her that he was thinking about coming back, and how much being away from the game was tearing him up. Most Gator fans don't believe them. I do, and here's why...
To explain this, I'm going to use an anecdotal experience from my own life. Most of you are going to scoff at the idea of me comparing something so little to something as grand as the billion dollar college football industry, but I'm going to do it anyway so get your jokes in now.
Throughout my time at UF I was able to partake in eight glorious years of intramural football (4 years as an undergrad and 4 years as a spouse during my wife's grad-school run). We had a pretty good run, with five final four appearances and two championships. Yes, I'm about to compare something that happened in intramural football to something that happened in real football, but bare with me. Besides, those of you that went to UF recently know how seriously and competitively that inner circle takes it.
After we won our first championship and continued doing well in the years that followed I began to feel that pressure to do well, both within that inner crowd that followed intramural football and with new teammates that I'd convinced to join the team. I wanted to show them that we weren't a fluke, weren't lucky, and really knew what we were doing. Like both Spurrier and Meyer alluded to in their roles, a win became nothing more than a relief and a loss was a disaster. Again, keep in mind that this was intramural football. There weren't millions of dollars on the line. My livelihood and ability to provide for my family wasn't on the line. There wasn't gobs of media attention watching everything we did (ok, so *shameless plug*, maybe there was some media attention). If I felt that weight in a simple intramural game which had no consequences outside of pride, then I can't even imagine the amount of pressure that college coaches feel when all of that real stuff is on the line.
Nonetheless, I did feel a weight, and it led me to walk away with one semester of eligibility left. After we won the championship in the fall of my last year, I was looking at an almost completely new group of guys in the spring. I didn't want to go through the headaches of proving to everyone that I knew what I was doing. I didn't want that weight of feeling like a loss would leave them of the opinion that "maybe this guy just lucked into it before". So I passed up my last spring of eligibility and walked away with my last game being a championship blowout in the Swamp.
When next spring rolled around I could not possibly have regretted it more. All I wanted to do was be back out there, "weight" and work be damned. I thought watching some games would quench my thirst, but it only made it 10 times worse. The corner is squatting on everything, a corner route out of the slot will each them up you idiots, just run that play! I could do this so much better, just let me back out there!
When Urban left the Gators he did the worst thing he could possibly have done. He joined ESPN. I have no doubt that he got the thirst as soon as the 2011 season rolled around, but then to make matters worse the job he took had him analyzing those same games that he could no longer be a part of. I can't imagine that Urban ever watched a game without thinking about how he would have done things differently, or what he could have done with those players. Every time a coach punted on 4th and short from midfield it must have eaten him up. Every time a coach kept his cool and didn't go on tilt and fake a punt from inside his own 20 when the offense was struggling he must have reminisced. Every time a coach hoisted a trophy and hugged his players he must have teared up.
In Urban's final two seasons at UF he felt nothing but stress and the weight of expectations that he couldn't wait to get rid of. Once he left, he realized how small of a price those things were to get back what he had. Urban's ties to UF were always weak, but if the opportunity to come back a Gator were there, I think he'd take it, and I think he regrets leaving in the first place. But right now, when the itch is too much to bear, the UF job isn't available.
Caring Is Gators’ Concern For Bowl Game
The Gator Nation expected a lot of fireworks this season offensively, and, well, it didn't quite happen that way. Now, there are fireworks going off in Kansas- from the local Krispy Kreme and McDonald's. Too bad we didn't get to experience any offensive improvement this year, and it's even more devastating to not have an offensive coordinator on staff for a huge bowl game against the team that we crushed five years ago for the BCS Title, Olieo State.
That's a huge concern, but the bigget concern of all is the mindset of this team.
Don't laugh.
I'd love to crush Ohio State and give Urban a bad memory to try to erase for recruits that are now on the fence about joining Meyer's elite army.
But I'm not sure the Gators all feel the same way.
The bowl game letdown can happen to any team, and for any number of reasons. The players might not want to be at that particular game, their opponent accomplishes a lot more in the extra practice than they do and unveil a huge bag of tricks, it's hard to get back in game day mode after being out of it for 5 weeks, etc.
Oklahoma and FSU are the worst of them all when it comes to big bowl games. Before last year, the Sooners lost 5 straight BCS bowl games/national championship games. FSU is even worse. They've played in seven BCS bowl games/championships since 1998. They've lost six of them. That's terrible (even for a girls' school).
But this isn't meant to make fun of FSU (well, maybe a little). This bowl game flop doesn't just apply to championship contending teams. It also happens to teams that believe they are too good for the bowl game they are in. See the embarrassing Sugar Bowl only three years ago where Alabama just fell flat on their faces as Utah cruised for a 31-17 shocker. This was partly due to Tim Tebow rolling the Tide in the SEC Championship Game, but whatever Alabama wants to say about it, they just didn't care. They didn't show up. SEC teams don't lose to midmajors, even good ones. Or do they?
Ask Georgia that. They've surely put the ugly memory of a 10-6 loss to our toddler cousin Central Florida in the Libery Bowl away for good, as they prepare for a much better bowl game this year, a rematch against Michigan State. But I haven't and I'm sure that Georgia Tech fans and Florida fans haven't either. UGA just didn't care. Let's face it. Georgia was good in 2010. They were much better than 6-6. They easily could have beaten Florida, easily could have beaten Mississippi State, easily could have beaten Colorado, and they easily could have beaten Arkansas. Auburn was a tough game but they played the Tigers well to the end, and they were never out of the South Carolina game. They just didn't care for an admittedly inferior opponent from a weak conference in a bowl nobody cares about.
Was that the most humiliated a team has felt in the past few years after a bowl game? Or was it when Texas Tech got upended by Ole Miss? The Red Raiders felt they had been raided of a BCS Bowl berth. They went up 14-0 on Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl- and then sat back and watched as Ole Miss went on a 47-13 rampage. As the Raiders scored one more meaningless touchdown, the Rebels were ecstatic on the sideline, jumping around, writing things on poster boards and showing them to the fans, etc.
The point is, the bowl malaise can hit any team for any reason. I'd much appreciate it if it didn't hit Florida, as recruiting is still going on and there could be some guys that might jump from Florida to Ohio State. A Gator Bowl win over OSU would at least make them think twice.
I'll get all my bowl picks out soon, but I'm not feeling too good about this game. We're just not a good team, plain and simple. Our one saving grace is that Ohio State sucks just as much as we do, so we could very well see a replay of the Florida-FSU mess instead of an LSU type blowout.
Please, offensive line, just please block for Brantley for just one game....
(Weak) Tentative 2012 Football Schedule Set
With Texas A&M and Missouri both joining the SEC next season, we knew there would be some sort of change in the scheduling.
But we just didn't know what.
Various rumors have swirled that Florida will be going to College Station to play Texas A&M, and will be playing host to Missouri.
Texas A&M will also visit Missouri, its new permanent interdivisional rival.
Each team will have 6 games against its division mates if you will, one permanent inter division rival and one instead of two rotating.
Texas A&M has to play somebody from the East as its rotating opponent for two years (and at home, since home and homes, which is how SEC East and SEC West teams play each other every few years) and apparently it's going to be Florida. Lucky us, I guess.
But the problem (or at least what we don't know yet) comes when you realize that Florida is scheduled to complete the back end of the home and home with Auburn, and also that there's been no mention of postponing the front end of the home and home with Ole Miss, who we are scheduled to pay a visit to next year.
LSU is going to remain our permanent SEC West rival. However, again, instead of having two rotating SEC West opponents, there will only be one, which means that it will have to be an 8 game conference schedule like it's always been. But this could still really mess up the dates with our nonconference opponents.
Everything appears to have a tentative date, except for October 13th. That's the only date without a set game, and one of the rumored games will take place then.
My guess is that the Ole Miss game will be pushed back, even though nobody has ever said anything about that, because there has been talk of playing Auburn again. But then again, that's just talk.
From the opponent to the TV network, it's all quite tentative and nothing more than unconfirmed rumors, but this is my projection of what our schedule will look like in 2012 (*= subject for removal from schedule in lieu of game at Texas A&M, home game against Missouri, or home game against Auburn).
September 1: BOWLING GREEN FALCONS* (SUN SPORTS/PPV)
September 8: LOUISIANA RAJIN CAJUNS* (ESPNU)
September 15: @Tennessee Volunteers (CBS)
September 22: KENTUCKY WILDCATS (SEC Network)
September 29: @Mississippi Rebels* (ESPN2)
October 6: LOUISIANA STATE TIGERS (CBS)
October 13: AUBURN/@Texas A&M/MISSOURI
October 20: Bye week
October 27: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (CBS)
November 3: @Vanderbilt Commodores (ESPN2)
November 10: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (CBS)
November 17: JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS* (SEC Network)
November 24: @Florida State Seminoles (ESPN)
The World’s Reactions To Tim Tebow
Tebowmania is crazy. It never ends, and gets stronger and picks up new followers each week. Then there are the people who knew him for awhile, or got acquainted with him at some point down the road.
Brainless Urlachers' postgame thoughts on Tebow: "He's a good running back." OK, sure. Let's go with that. Everybody can believe that heading into the game with Tebow. That spurred me to think of what other people would say when asked about Tebow after his most recent miracle.
So here's what everybody else has to say (note: this is realistic fiction, because I can totally picture these guys saying this about Tebow).
Former Florida Gators and now Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer
I'm just real proud of Tim, and what he's doing, I knew he could do it and I'm so proud of him for saving me while I was taking my nap. It goes to show you, with good coaching he puts up 50 points, and with bad or no coaching he just finds a way to win games.
ESPN Analyst Merril Hoge
I don't care how much he wins. He needs to get better. Period. He needs better mechanics, or he won't succeed. Winning isn't succeeding. Looking good is succeeding. I'd rather he have Tom Brady's mechanics and go 2-14 than have Tim Tebow flailing wildly and making the playoffs. Looking like a real QB is all that matters, not winning. I refuse to budge.
Former Florida State Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden
The dadgum guy just wins. He must have gotten that from the dadgum garnet paint that was smeared on his jersey in the 2008 game against us. I'm happy for the kid that our end zone paint and winning rubbed off on him, dadgummit.
Rapper Kanye West
(Jumping onstage and grabbing the microphone at the Emmys) Imma let you finish, but first I gotta say Tim Tebow is the best QB of ALL TIME. ALL TIME. All he does is win win win no matter what, got Jesus on his mind, haters never get enough, but all he does is win, win, win, and if haters don't like that they can go jump off a bridge!
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan
He can't play. He didn't do anything so spectacular. If I never give credit to anybody and instead talk trash, why give Tebow anything? Bible Boy can't do anything right but run for two yards. Now excuse me, I've got to go see the doctor about my foot fetish.
Comedian Daniel Tosh
He's terrible. But what do I know? I'm a comedian, not a football analyst. That's because my football analysis is so off base, it's funny. I can admit when I'm wrong. I'm just a little depressed after he owned my Dolphins. That's all. He's great. (HE SUCKS.) I don't know what I'm saying. Maybe I should just stick to comedy.
Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban
I'd considered asking Roger Goodell to allow the Alabama Crimson Tide into the NFL, since you know, that's where all my guys wind up anyway. Then I watched Tim Tebow against Chicago. I immediately called up my boss and told him forget it. The guy's won 6 straight games, he's pissed off, and he's pissed off at MY TEAM. That's a bad combination. Forget it. Not happening.
Temple Owls coach Steve Addazio
Dive dive dive dive dive dive... what? Dude, I'm on a recruiting trip. I've got these twins, nationally ranked 9th grade swimmers, who could really help my dive program. Their names are Ashley and Sarah and they are both interested in diving (into brick walls, but I haven't told them that yet, that's a surprise for later) for four years. And you want me to comment on Tebow? OK, fine. He's doing OK, but he'd be better if he just ran the dive more. OK? Happy now?
Baylor Bears QB Robert Griffin III
Well, I guess I've got to throw out the Broncos gear John Elway secretly sent me.
Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton
He may be able to run with and throw the pigskin well against big, nasty defenses like the best of them, but can he run with and throw the laptop against big, nasty security guards like the best of them- like me?
ESPN Analyst Mel Kiper
Whatever, I don't care anymore. ESPN just paid me to bash him for an offseason, and that offseason is over. Onto doing research on how Andrew Luck will be a bigger bust than JaMarcus Russell.
Kansas coach Charlie Weis
Ehhh... he doesn't eat enough cheeseburgers for me to invest in him.
There was one person, on the other hand, that didn't completely smash Tebow's name. In fact, he praised Tebow. He gave the impression it was an honor to watch him playHe seems to know a fair bit about the game, based on his past credentials and resume. He may not be able to pull out ridiculous comebacks week in and week out like Tebow, but he's one of the game's greatest of all time: New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.
Tebow, This Isn’t Even Funny Anymore
For a change, Marion Barber was responsible for a Denver game's ending. Of course the catalyst was that Barber made a huge play- for Denver.
Who cares?
The game between the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears ended pretty much the same way all Denver games end- with a Matt Prater field goal and a Denver celebration in Mile High Stadium (or wherever they're playing).
The difference is, this time, Tebow didn't have everything with it.
Oh, sure, he made some huge plays in the fourth quarter, and drove his team from 10-0 down to win the game. But instead of carrying the entire load, his defense won the game by stripping Barber en route to a Chicago game winning touchdown. For three quarters, they had all they could handle because Denver's offense and even the special teams kept trying to screw themselves over. A field goal got blocked, Tebow threw a rare interception, passes were dropped (one would have been an easy TD on a great pass by Tebow), blocks were missed and Denver couldn't get on the board.
Credit the game ball to the D. They won this game. They did all the work. Tebow just put the finishing touches on it.
And that's fine and dandy with me.
When Tebow got to Denver in 2010, the Broncos were a mess. They were getting crushed by middle of the pack teams like Oakland (59-14), Arizona (43-13), and San Diego (35-14). Then there were the embarrassing losses to terrible teams like Kansas City, Jacksonville, San Francisco and St. Louis.
Then he stepped in for the final three games, and Denver won one of them and were in both other games until the very end against Oakland and San Diego- losing by a combined 21 points under Tebow after losing by a combined 66 points with Kyle Orton.
See the difference?
The entire team plays better with Tebow. It could be that they just like him, or it could be a coincidence but the likely explanation is that he has injected them with his own DNA, which doesn't end with U-G-A (no relation to that school up north, it's biology) like most DNA sequences do, but instead with W-I-N. I just hope it doesn't wind up on the NFL's banned substance list, or else Tebow and his teammates will be facing possible suspensions and maybe even bans from the NFL.
He makes his teammates, and thus his team, better.
End of story.
Whether you like it or not, Merril Hoge, that's just the way it is. What? That's not your biggest problem right now? What is? Is it the problem that you can't find a way to buy any more tissues, you're all out? Aw, poor helpless, giant baby. Tim Tebow's a very compassionate man. I'll have him send you a huge box of tissues, with a note taped to the wrapping paper saying "THIS TISSUE PAPER WAS BOUGHT WITH SOME OF MY NFL PLAYOFF PAYCHECK. GET BETTER."
I'm not one to make cancer jokes, because that's horrible and it's not a laughing matter at all. So for those of you that have made fun of Hoge's cancer, don't. However, if I were the head of Hoge's medical practice, I would make him wear a Tebow jersey every time he came to my office to discuss how he's doing. It's public penance, nothing more.
But anyway, MISTER Hoge, would you believe that Denver is in the playoffs? Nah, that's impossible. For Denver to have made the playoffs, Tebow would have had to throw more passes, be more accurate, have a better delivery, and just be, you know, a real QB to quote Deonte Thompson.
It actually is very difficult to believe. Cleaning up the mess somebody started and taking over a locker room in the middle of a season is nearly impossible to do, but then so is coming back down 10 against the Bears' defense with under 3 minutes too go. Taking a 1-4 team to the playoffs is even more difficult to do, especially with teams that are better than they appear on your schedule like Chicago, Miami, Oakland and the Jets. But Tebow did it.
With each week comes another miracle and a huge fallout reaction to it. For Tebow supporters, it goes from surprise (Wow!) to shock (Oh my god!) to disbelief (He did NOT just do it again!) all the way to humorous (Laughing in astonishment). There's one stage after that: the point it gets to where it's just NOT FUNNY. I've passed the point where I was cracking up in shocked disbelief. It's now at the level that you don't exactly expect it, but you have accepted the fact that it's NOT NORMAL. All the calls about Tebow really being Jesus, or god's quarterback, or invincible, were silly- until yesterday.
When I was a kid, about 10 years ago, I would read these short stories by a man named RL Stine. He had this series of books that was called Goosebumps. Each and every one of them began with the normal life of a normal girl or boy, but soon took on the characteristics of unrealistic fiction, usually involving monsters or ghosts or zombies or whatever taking over the story. They all started normal, and then turned abnormal. Or paranormal. One I remember in particular involved a girl with who moved to another neighborhood, only to discover that everybody she had made friends with was dead. So when she tried to kill them, she couldn't, because they had already died.
I feel like this is the sequel.
Why? Because the stuff Tebow does isn't human.
Now, it's turned the other way around. Opponents trying to knock down Tim Tebow keep failing, again and again. He's been knocked down once against Detroit. You can't defeat him again, no matter what you do or how much logic says he should lose. I hate saying this, because it's exactly the kind of talk that might lead to a Denver collapse (or at least a loss to a better team), but let's be honest, he should have lost to Miami. The odds are simply against coming back from 15-0 down with only a few minutes to go against a winless team desperate for their first win. Gator fans and now Bronco fans know that Tebow was literally born to defy odds (see the story about his mother being advised to abort him and adamantly declining) but this is a new level.
On another note, we finally got some great long term news on Tebow. John Elway has agreed to tutor Tim Tebow with his full, undivided attention. No more silly battles for the starting job. No more lockouts. No more debates. No more garbage, period. Now, Tebow will learn everything he needs to from one of the game's best ever QB's and incorporate it into his own game. We know Tebow's work ethic is off the charts. John Elway's about to find that out for himself as well, along with a much better QB.
I'll say this again.
Lots of QB's have better arms than Tim Tebow. Lots of QB's are more accurate than Tim Tebow. Lots of QB's have better footwork than Tim Tebow. Lots of QB's have better deliveries than Tim Tebow.
But there is nobody, repeat, NOBODY in the NFL I would rather have in crunch time than Tebow. Not Aaron Rodgers. Not Eli Manning (eat your heart out, thebone, he's Tebow Jr! Well, that's a bit of a stretch. But he wins crazy games he's not supposed to also). Not Drew Brees. Not a healthy Peyton Manning. Not Matt Ryan. Certainly not Cam Newton (unless the NFL switched the pigskin for the Dell, because nobody runs with or throws a laptop better than Cammy Cam Cam, as Auburn fans overaffectionately call him). Not Ben Roethlisberger. Not even Tom Brady.
No, Denver's got the best winner in the world playing QB for them. Imagine what he'll be like when he doesn't need to pull off all these crazy comebacks every week, and only against the best teams like the Packers or the Saints. It's all very possible with his work ethic and John Elway's QB knowledge.
"The guy wins." Coming from John Elway, I'm happy. Having any Hall of Fame QB give credit is uplifting, but especially one who criticizes Tebow. Even if he's just saying it to shut people up, at least it means that he still realizes that he's got a winning QB because otherwise the demand for him from Broncos fans wouldn't be so great in the first place.
One last thing I want to touch on- Brian Urlacher's ridiculous post game comments.
"He's a good running back."
(The seeds for a humorous post regarding the entire world's thoughts on Tebow have been planted, and the post itself is now brewing.)
Well, that's nice. Obviously, somebody got his head busted open by Tim Tebow's punishing (admittedly short) third quarter run that went for a first down and knocked a trio of Bears down. That same running back you speak of? Yeah, he threw for 200 yards in the fourth quarter, and called the plays that engineered a stunning comeback. But I guess in relative terms, of course, you're right, he is a good running back compared to Marion Barber. He didn't fumble the game away.
No, he won it.
If you want to be precise, he made his teammates better, and his team won it. Or, if you want to credit one single player, Matt Prater (Mr. Ice Veins) won it.
Not Marion Barber and certainly not Brain, oops, I mean Brian Urlacher.
Steve Addazio To Gator Nation 12/9/11
Hey Gator fans! Long time no talk!
It's me again, Stevio. We've been out of contact with each other for a long time now, and it's good to talk to you again.
Let me update you on how I've been. My amazing Temple Owls have blasted through the rugged competition with an impressive 8-4 record and this has earned my boys a trip to the BCS New Mexico Bowl. The BCS games are for the elite teams from different parts of the country to match up against each other to see how good they are.
For me, though, such a huge bowl game provides me with an opportunity to operate my unstoppable dive optionless offense. It will be a nationally televised game and a chance for all those swimmers to watch how you're really supposed to dive. The way the swim coaches teach it is wrong. You're supposed to break bones, lose the ball and then cry about it. That's the Temple Way. Will Muschamp has the Florida Way and this is the Temple Way.
Looks like the fat man bomb you guys employed didn't help at all. Looks like I'm the better coordinator now, huh? My offense finished with 30 points per game in the MAC, which stands for Mightiest Athletic Competition. Obviously it's named that because it speaks volumes about the level of talent across the league. You guys scored 21 points per game in the lowly SEC. Big difference.
I tweaked my offense this year to fit my players' styles, just like I did for John Brantley in 2010. Of course, this was AFTER I forced my players to switch their styles to dive-hitch-sack-punt offense. De-Al-Goldenizing them was a little hard but it was completed by the start of the season.
The way to do it is simple. Run them into a wall and make them like it. This should accurately depict a typical plunge into the line when the blockers pull a club rush and allow a swarm of defenders to come and get the runner. The false starts are all planned so the linemen can catch their breaths in order to properly miss blocks. Don't laugh. Missing a block and making it look legit is very hard to do.
I don't have much else to say to you. You were very rude to me when I was in Gainesville, and I haven't quite forgotten it. I'm the genius that orchestrated the brilliant offense that led us to a Sugar Bowl victory. I'm a brilliant man.
Urban calls me and tells me that before bedtime every night. Urban likes me. My dog likes me too. He licks my hand every night. Wait, didn't I tell you that?
I can't continue this. I have to go yell at Scot Loeffler for screwing up the order of the notecards I used to write this. There are these big squiggles in the corner of the cards. Scot says they're called numbros or mumblers or something. Maybe numbers. If he accuses me of mixing them up myself, I will fire him. If I hire Charlie Weis as my offensive coordinator, that's why. I know I ripped him earlier and I know he took over the Kansas job but come on, Temple is far more prestigious than KU. And I'd love a nice cuddle buddy when things go wrong. But they won't, because I'm a genius and I know I've succeeded in confusing you stupid Gator fans.
I'm going to go toy with my playbook. Hopefully by next week I'll have come up with a new creative way for my QB to throw 3 yard screen passes into triple coverage. But that's a big task. I don't know if I can do it.
You know what? If Urban says I can, I know I can!
ONWARD AND UPWARD!!! (.... repeated a few times and then gradually trailing off into nothing. I haven't forgotten the mess Addazio left us and as long as we're stuck in this mess he started I'll keep hammering away at him. Good riddance, and an early Merry Christmas to all, and to Addazio a good dive.)
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