I’ll go with 7-5. Still incredibly young. Not many Sr leaders on this team. Growing pains will continue. Not that it matters. I think those that are bitching & complaining now will still be bitching & complaining regardless of how we end the season. The ones that are saying we would be lucky to finish above .500, will still insert their criticisms if we somehow finished 9-3… “well, Billy should have went for it on 4th & goal instead of settling for a FG against LSU” …”Why didn’t he call a timeout after that play just before the half” …”He should have benched Mertz and given Max Brown an opportunity after that interception” …”there’s no reason we shouldn’t be 11-1 right now” We all know it will/would happen.
I'll start by saying how weird it is to see Dooley looking for the bright side in anything pertaining to Gator FB. And frankly, I see this as a "going against the grain" puff piece with only minimal grounding in reality at best. I do expect some improvement overall (I mean, the bar's not that high), and I hope to see the nucleus of a cohesive, competent SEC FB team form as the season unfolds. But anything more than 7 regular season wins would be a gift from the FB fates and another losing season is a definite possibility. JMHO.
I'm sure that most of us that even bother to post on a football message board would analyze the results and Monday morning QB each game as we always do, but I can't imagine any Gator not being happy with 9-3 for the 2023 season after the last two years results. Oh, and by the way, I think we'll need to be lucky to finish above .500 in 2023.
That wouldn’t surprise me either but it also wouldn’t surprise me to have eight or nine wins. We don’t know what to expect with all the new guys in the lineup.
If we had Richardson for two more years, he may be all world and get a statue out in front of the swamp. But being better than he was last year is no great feat for any quarterback
I think we are in a QB era where any QB that plays a third year for the same team will be a bit unusual.
Totally agree!!! Most of our games were close last year, and that was with a marshmallow defense and inconsistent passing game.
No question that there is loads of untapped talent in AR but I’m pretty convinced he did the right thing. I think he needed to get away from Gainesville. I don’t know that another year would have helped him or the team …at least here anyway. More than the decision making, interceptions etc. it was his perceived unwillingness to embrace the role as a team leader that really stood out above anything else, at least to me. He needed a “do over” somewhere else. And if someone in the NFL is going to pay you, why not start over there.
IF the offense executes, our games are winnable. Dooley didn't really go out on a limb! I see LSU and Georgia as tough games on the schedule. As last year, the quarterback and defense will have a great bearing on whether we win or lose.
I get where you are coming from; you don't lose a first round quarterback and get better on offense. However, AR only threw for 2,500 yards last season. That does not include his running, and he can make plays that very few other people can, but, for comparison, Will Levis, in 2021, threw for 2,900 yards and 20 td's in 2021 with 7.5 YPS. Those numbers are in the middle of the SEC, (Between Brady Cook and Jayden Daniels). With receivers that can stretch the field a little more, an offensive improvement is not impossible.
I think 8 wins is doable. We are better talent wise already. AR cost us UK. Hooker not at UT anymore. AR and lack of focus cost us vandy. Fsu might be the one game i think CBN overthought and went away from the run to soon. The bar is not that high for steady QB to come in and control the game. Ol upgrade( overall) WR upgrade. TE couldn't be worse. Upgrade RB great tandem and upgrade with webb. QB hate to say it( love AR) upgrade if consistent. Dl overall upgrade. LB wash to slight upgrade. Secondary upgrade. Special teams - nowhere but up. The one position i think needs a new coach. CBN did a fantastic job last year keeping us in games with teams who were way more talented than us.
If there’s any silver lining to “pay for play” at all, maybe players will be less driven to jump to the NFL early
Mertz has 3 years of being equal to AR passing yet with the running of Peyton Manning. For him to be better than AR he’d have to take a massive massive leap
Nope. AR wasn’t very good. You watched the games right? A few highlights every game and a lot of punts because he couldn’t run an offense.He was maybe middle of the pack in just the sec. He has all the physical talent in the world but if you think he was a great qb last year, I don’t know what to tell you.
Given he doesn’t run, which will also hurt our RBs he will have to transform himself passing. To be similar to passing he needs to be similar to a hair below someone like Trask. Many are underestimating ARs running and his influence on the run game
