Agree and I would also note that throughout his time here I never heard AR complain once about the fans, the performance of any teammates or play calling by any of the coaches. He was always gracious and shouldered responsibility humbly, even when we saw WR drops, missed blocks and inept defense.
Travis ran with far more authority and with more conviction than AR. One AR run that stood out was his first down toward the end of the 3rd quarter/ early 4th. AR looked like a man among boys- overpowering and breaking tackles and getting extra yardage. It was amazing and crazy- a thing of beauty. But watching it again- it reminded me of how little we saw of that vs Vandy and FSU. And that's why people are questioning AR. As I said- IT'S NOT ENTIRELY FAIR. But there's a nugget of truth in the unfair criticism too.
Meh... Feleipe Franks under Mullen was solid. AR showed more flashes of promise and potential than Franks, IMO, but Franks was more consistent and reliable than AR, which is saying something because Franks was pretty damned erratic too. I'd say AR's best performance is an A+, future first round pick kind of game, but his worst performance makes you question if he's even playing the right position. He was a liability at times that forced the rest of the team to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Franks's best performance was like a B to a B+, but he was always an excellent arm talent and always seemed like a better than replacement level player at this level (even at his worst under Mullen). He always made the team better. It just so happened that the guy who backed him up for a while was a future Heisman finalist.
It's also a possibility that he thinks he's already peaked at this level and he wants to collect his cash while he can. I know we like to think most young competitors always believe they can/will get better, but risk/reward business decisions have a way of getting in people's heads.
He's a good kid who was just incredibly inconsistent at the QB position. I don't think it was a question of effort with him, maybe he just wanted to put some things on film for the next level and he just abandoned what got him here in the first place, which is a bad decision, but that's it. I'm fine with benching him or seeing him go from a football perspective, but I think we need to put into context just how good of a leader Tebow was and is and how hard the QB position is at this level. All you can ask guys is to give us their best and represent the university with class. I think AR gave us both. Now that he's gone, we should wish him all the best. Go Gators!
I hate to be a "doubter" or a "naysayer," but there's a whole lot he needs to change in his game if he wants to be an NFL QB. If he just wants to collect that check, I get it. But if this is an actual career plan for him, he better figure his stuff out while he has practice squad eligibility.
I am sure he is a good kid. I am hard on him because I feel he was putting himself over the team. This is unacceptable in my book. Well anyway, on to the next Quarterback. Need better luck with whoever it is. The last two have left a lot to be desired.
AR wasn’t without his faults. He tried his best and did what he could with what he was given. I salute him for that. It’s funny how absolutely no slander of the coaching staff (which if we’re being honest, was just as, if not more mediocre than the QB play) is allowed, but “fans” are allowed to degrade players all they want.
Travis also slid at the goal line a couple times. Again it’s fair to criticize his game. But it’s a bit absurd to question his character because an opposing QB ran the ball differently than he did.
The Game is dirtier now and the interest has changed from the not too long ago "Beat FSU or Beat Them Dawgs" to "We should not be angry at a Gator giving up on UF for money vs education and life lessons". I will say that he is a big boy and he can fall on his face or succeed. Makes no difference to me. A nobody is a better thought. You see..we are not his momma or daddy...we gain nothing from his giving up for the mighty dollar and odds are he is going to learn a real life's lesson from his iwn circle of family and friends. Education cannot be taken away... The changes to college football are nothing to celebrate if you are a fan. Dedication is an equal partnership for fans and players and the game is on shaky ground when players deny this.
Can't agree. His game was deceptive this year because of how streaky he was. He'd play really poorly for a big chunk of the game then insanely good for 25% and in the end you had great stats and often coming up just short. A huge chunk of the FSU game was probably the worst I've ever seen him play. Worse than UGA 2020. USF game wasn't much better than Kentucky. He was barely there for Missouri. I don't think any of this is "bashing" him or "questioning his character." He is a great talent in waiting. It's a shame that he decided to complete his training in the pros rather than here. It's a shame that we couldn't surround him with better tools. Hope he kills it in the NFL, though. It's going to take a lot of work. I truly think he's going to end up being the biggest missed opportunity UF ever had at the position.
I can agree with much of what you say above, however it’s wasn’t always him making bad throws. There were tons of drops, I don’t mean balls that a WR barely touched I mean balls that a D1 WR should catch every time. I would say in the FSU game it really only the 3rd quarter and once again there were 4-5 drops and zero help from the Coaches calling the plays(no runs). I specifically recall a great ball to Douglas near the end zone in the 4th that was flat dropped (he had like 4-5drops if I remember correctly.) Not implying you’re bashing. The annoying thing to me is fans here who last year vilified Mullen for not playing AR over EJ, then doubled down after the UTAH game but then turned on him as the year went on. Good thing there wasn’t any message boards when DW was here in 95-96. Some guys think it should be near perfection all the time.
I can only remember two QBs in my (relatively short) Gator fandom that weren't skewered from time to time: Tebow and Trask. The rest of them got torn up here at one point or another.
Maybe, but consider Trask was 17-6 as a starter (I think) and Leak got torn to bits as 16-9 (working from memory), I think that there's more context there to explain it.
Very true, many fans were screaming for Tebow in 06’ over Leak. However the offense was somewhat pedestrian until the SECCG and the MNC (not counting the directional schools we played). Although Tebow won the Heisman in 07 he was a better overall QB in 08/09 IMHO. He needed a year to get up to speed.
