National pundits agree. He got a D+ by 2 services. Podcasters that are fact based are mixed- giving him a pass due to talent but saying he has to make changes… local media and half the fans think “it’s all talent/you don’t talk about the coach/all kinds of weather/gotta get his dudes in here” That about sums it up
Because, since he made them, we lost to Vanderbilt, FSU, and Oregon State? Because we didn’t improve in any facet of the game between Utah and the conclusion of the season? Because he might be correct in his assertion that he’ll be here long after Napier is gone?
Even if he is correct, and that's very much unknown at this point, so what? What exactly are we supposed to glean from the fact that some windbag won't get fired from a beat writer job?
Hey Mark, it was still a classless comment that you wouldn’t have said to his face. May be true… most beat writers outlast the coaches they cover, but that’s also b/c a lot of them never advance any farther than the beat.
Robbie Andreu outlasted Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Not that much of a reach for Long to think he would outlast Napier.
Sigh. Nobody, myself included, cares about some nobody AP reporter’s career and if they’re going to be employed. That wasn’t the point. The implication of his comments was that Napier is not long for this job, and this nobody AP reporter might have some insight into why, or is otherwise exposed to something internal that would cause him to think that. That’s the point I found interesting now looking back after the season is over. Didn’t realize I’d have to spell it out so clearly. I overestimate Gator Nation again.
A lot of long time beat reporters become very cynical about their assignments. I think Long's comment reflects that cynicism more than any personal animosity towards Napier or inside information. He's been reporting on a broken record for over a decade now. He probably has no reason to believe that it will stop skipping and said so.
No logical person thinks Napier is in any danger whatsoever re job security at the moment. That won't even be a discussion until after next season at the earliest. So Long's comments were nothing more than blowhard and unprofessional. To me that is the one and only takeaway
Well there’s the part where the dipshit will likely be at his dead end job longer that Napier will be in one of the top coaching jobs on the planet making millions.
I think he should never have said it out loud for all the world to hear. It's a BAD look... and not good for our Gator football program. And it's mostly negative click-bait, self-serving of him to say those disparaging things about a first year coach that is trying to fix the crap that the last guy left behind.
You only thought you had to “spell it out” for us. What you’re missing is the fact that that your take is crap.
