Ahmad Black after the LSU game.

Where is the lie?

 

It's not about losing... as much as it is about how we're playing the game, especially on defense. That level of ineptitude has not seen a Gator uniform in quite some time. Look at our 3rd down defense... I think it's dead last out of 131 teams? Something like that. And respectful venting is in order.

 

Completely agree. I've mentioned this in posts as well.

 

Ahmad should realize when you take the players of the coach who got fired and made them worse in some areas, that's on the coach.

Overall, ot tackling, getting lines up, and want to is light years ahead of last year. Our distance from receiver to db in zone coverage is mind boggling.

 

Ahmad probably realizes it wasn't just wins and losses or recruiting with Mullen. It was their lack of running a functioning program, one that was good for the players off the field.

 

We are not the only team with a new coach but we are the only team with the worst ranked defense in all of college football. And that is having played 6 out of 7 games at home in the Swamp. If we even played like a 75th ranked defense we would probably be 6-1 or 7-0. Well, nothing we can do about it but wait and see how it plays out the next couple years.

 

Coaches and players staying out of trouble and working hard to get better every day. Playing hard every game from start to finish.

Ahmad is a proud alum like me.

 

exactly what are you basing "playing hard every game" on... concerning the defense. they literally do nothing. 1 punt in 2 games?!?! that is "playing hard?"

 

Criticism is warranted. Coaches need to be held accountable. If I pay X amount to coach A and he can’t get the job done and I pay Coach B more to fix the problem then I expect coach B to fix the problem. Who the players are is irrelevant. I’m not saying that a championship is expected in year one. But it damn well is expected that we show progress and improvement.

 

I wish I could re-create my post analogy of what is happening (my opinion) versus what many folks want (perhaps you). But it is too lengthy and nebulous.

Napier, IMO, is building a program from the ground up. He has a LONG ways to go (again.........THANKS DUMDO!......) and he is going to do what he was hired to do. But you CAN take a shortcut, which may mean a win or two more but puts the proverbial inmates in charge of the asylum. Or at least it reinforces bad habits into people's minds as to how to win games. And I believe that in Napier's mind (as well as mine), sacrificing the future by building a poor foundation is not a good loss just to get a win today.

 

Most of the players on the defense (and quite a few on the offense) were recruited away from FAU and FIU, not Georgia and Alabama. They could very well be playing hard, but not have the ability to keep up in the SEC. Many of them have reached their ceiling. The defense is also young. Any time you have more than one underclassman with extensive playing time on the defensive line, you are going to have difficulties on defense. And we have two sophomores at DT, which is probably the worst place to have to play underclassmen. The defense will start to get better next year, and will be even better the following year.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a believer that he will get the job done. For anyone to say that he is above criticism and that we should all turn a blind eye is asinine. He took the job and the administration has given him everything that he has asked for and just like any employee he needs to answer for his missteps. He chose to hire an unproven DC and that’s on him. He needs to take immediate action. We may have Mullins players but they aren’t scrubs. They are just poorly coached. The last coach was in part fired for his blind loyalty to a DC that couldn’t cut it. Saban had one bad game from his D and he called them “soft.” Do you think that he would keep a DC that had his squad ranked 137? Do you think he would keep him after 7 games of high school level play?

 

I respect what Ahmad is saying but he has to recognize, as fans, we keep seeing the same issues year after year. And it is frustrating. We keep hearing that it's "correctable" but it never seems to get corrected. Defense has particularly been the most frustrating. Defenses that can't stop anyone on 3rd down. Players being undisciplined which leads to missed tackles, silly penalties or wide open receivers running down the field. Maybe our guys are just not talented enough, smart enough or a combination of both. That's where coaching really comes into play and it doesn't seem that our DC is making any kind of difference. I understand we are young in some areas but even a young team should be able to stop a team from scoring 6 straight times. My guess is that most fans can somewhat stomach a loss if the players are playing hard, in the right position and are just getting out talented. But to continue to see players out of position, missing tackles, etc leaves me to wonder if the coaching staff needs upgrading in the DC position.

 

Our defense is located at the intersection of Low Talent St. and Low Effort Ave. We took out a 5 year lease on that property in early 2018. We made no improvements early and neglected maintenance for the first four years.

Last year we were not good, didn’t try, and didn’t care. Coach has fixed the last two, but it’s going to some time to fix the first one. There may be a few who told him what he wanted to hear but didn’t buy in. By now the coaches have figured out who those are. Good times ahead, but please no more booing in Jax or against SC.

 

Doesn’t this directly have to do with our horrendous safeties? Can’t afford to let the WR get behind the DBs.

 

Criticism in general isn’t asinine but some of the specific critiques being offered are asinine.

 

Man, talk about bi-polar temperature. You WANT to believe in Napier, but "He needs to take immediate action". And ends with "Do you think he would keep him after 7 games of high school level play?"

Please look up "Saban, Bama, First Year" and then when you have sufficiently absorbed it, look up "Smart, UGa, First Year." And, while I don't recall the mess that Saban had when he took over, I DO recall that Smart took over for a "close-but-not-quite-good-enough Richt.

As I posted on another thread (or two, or three, or...) collectively, we are DAMN TIRED at what we demand and what has been served since the second to last year of Meyer. That is a LONG time. Not UGa long but still...

Nothing you demand is going to manifest, unless the REAL inmates are running the asylum. That is called Auburn. You want to emulate them?

 

Finally a sane assessment

 

Don't you hate it when those come along?

It makes me forget where I stored my pitchfork and torch.