Ripping everything/everyone is not going to help. Fans have gone down that road many times, it's time to try something different. We wanted a process-oriented coach, which we have. It takes time for everything to get aligned in a process so that it works as intended. We've seen early results in facilities, analytics, staffing, recruiting, etc. Let's be positive & enjoy the journey as we progress.
One can be positive and still make fair criticism of some glaring issues with this team. It doesn’t mean people are fans of the team. Not sure why just because some people think a “process oriented” coach was the best choice doesn’t mean everyone feels that way. Same with the idea that because a dude coached under Saban means he’s got Saban’s magic cookbook on how to rebuild a championship program. The data doesn’t really back up that theory that is bellied about by many.
Being dead last in college football in third down defense…doesn’t inspire positivity. Real problems require real criticism if we are to overcome them. Sticking our heads in the sand is what the old regime would have liked us to do. We shouldn’t be doing that.
Napier, IMHO, is our guy. Waaaaay too early to drag out the firing squad on his ass. Our Qb's and RB's and O-line are pretty darn good. Look at the offense at Tenn. Last night too. When Richardson is on we're rocking. And he's still learning, he'd admit that. It's the defense that needs some serious adjusting. Too early to blame that on the coaches too. If someone has a uni on he's giving them a shot. He just dusted off Lingard on offense. Grantham sucked. Now Toney sucks? The one 'constant' being we have pretty much the same players; actually, we lost a few good ones. Hmmmm. And a small handful of good defensive players remain. The rest are often out of position and can't tackle. The teams we play can attack our weaknesses very easily. It's not a secret. Unfortunately, that's who we are this year- right now! If a defensive player isn't fast enough or can't tackle, how do you coach him up on that? If you're out of position and not super fast, how do you tackle? You might learn to tackle, but if you can't get to him... We have a bunch of good kids doing their best, but they might not be able to compete at an elite level. And, we will not be able to beat the big boys until we have kids that can be coached up and can compete at an elite level. We have kids that will make exponential jumps next year. (Next year!) Sometimes teams have off nights and can get beat by the Appalachian States of the worlds. But to be operating at an upper elite level you need your 'mean performance level' to be so high you can have an off-night and still win. We are very far from that- particularly on defense. New top-level recruits are in the wings. And new kids are learning on the job! Intellectually, I might be just this side of the village idiot, but logic tells me emotion drives most of this dour next day hangover spewage. Data will continue to pile up and then the obvious conclusions will emerge and adjustments will be made to the staff and to personnel. Time, once again, is our current state of minds enemy. No disrespect intended but... "You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear!" It appears the coaches are doing their best to make that saying wrong. Just my 2 cents. I'm just trying to positively process this stuff. Go Gators.
I'm optimistic about our new coach, but don't have much good to say in general and about the defense specifically. Therefore I stay as positive as I can by not posting much. How's that?
This is true. Nobody's against fair criticism. The unhinged whining about stuff that makes no sense can be annoying though.
If we don't fix things now, & as a result 4 years from now change coaches, then any recovery will span 20 years. We have to go all-in & support the current coaches. We're far removed as a program from posting about "OMG timeout!" when we no longer even have recruiting relationships with some Florida high schools.
It has been 16 years since UF won the SEC. My bandwidth for koom-ba-ya is completely drained. I trust my eyes more from what I see in terms of the product not what someone tells me. Jaded? maybe. But damn it I can't take any more "be patient, understanding, and have faith." my goodwill is completely tapped out.
You have, over time become one of my favorite posters. Never too excited. Pretty well thought out, plus or minus. Don’t have to agree but grown to appreciate the the fact you don’t seem to get too caught up in the calamity of the day. To me, this is how you complain without causing your blood vessels to pop. Not provocative. Usually a long thought out response instead of a one liner. Thanks for the substance. There are others. (And I vote yes for village idiot, nonetheless)
