Orlando Sentinel: UF AD Scott Stricklin Insists Billy Napier Is Not On Hot Seat

It's just a message board people. Lighten up.

 

meh

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

Those of us who have experienced page 136 and live to tell to the tale know sometimes it goes a bit beyond just an internet message board.

 

Sometimes you just need to "express" yourself.

 

Weird how these things just pop out

 

I have NEVER said that BN was doing a "solid job;" that would be an assumption. At times, he has made bad gametime decisions, poor clock management, and he does not demonstrate to make adjustments in real time.
BN's issue for two seasons has been player execution. In year one, if the Gators had played the entire season, as they played against Utah, the Gators would have had a winning record in 2022! Against Utah, the Gators executed very well and won; and Utah was the much better team! Execution made the difference.
In 2023, our OL and defense were predominantly responsible. Although, we should have won against Arkansas and Missouri.
What I have said is that BN needs more time to develop the roster. Last year, he nearly got his quarterback; and this year he got the #1 quarterback! He has demonstrated that he knows how to recruit; otherwise, he would have an abysmal recruiting class! Now that he has his qb, some are already saying, "Napier has to go!" THAT'S WHAT HAS HURT US THE MOST--GATOR FANS AND THE MEDIA MAKING ACCUSATIONS ABOUT BN!!! Who would want to come to Florida if every three years someone gets fired!
I see BN has what it takes to be the HC. Just because you or someone else doesn't think so is merely a difference of opinion. If I choose to be more patient, dont blame me for your lack of tolerance!

 

In my other post I indicated that in the 117 years of Florida football we’ve had three coaches out of 29 that have had a .700 winning percentage or higher. You do the math 3 out of 29 coaches is 10% of our program’s history of coaches where we have been on an elite level during a coaching tenure.

It matters not that one coach was .850 one year and .375 the next because his average will be sub .700. The three national championships that we have were obtained with coaches with winning percentages above .700 lifetime. So it is fair to say that, while that is not an absolute guarantee of a national championship, being .700 or above usually means that we will be at least competing for one.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET THERE by a musical chairs approach. We have to be patient and build both programs slowly. It’s the only way. Hoping on a quick fix like Spurrier, Meyer, or Donovan is like playing Russian Roulette.

Part of the problem with talent underachievement is the fear of failing both on the coaching level and the player level. If our coaches feel comfortable about their jobs they can focus more on building winning programs. A confident and secure coach fosters confldent and secure players whatever star level they come to is as.

This is why we have seen Florida losing to inferior talented teams year in and year out. Because opposing teams have a greater sense of security and less desperateness than we do at Florida.

 

It’s the craziest business model ever.

 

I certainly understand the benefits of stability and security. I do. But what it sounds like you’re asking for is stabilization even it means stabilizing with the normalization of losing seasons. And you just can’t have that. Neither can Napier. The key to his achieving the kind of stabilization and security he would like is not the fans and boosters and anyone who has Stricklin’s ear to sit back and shut the [heck] up. It’s for Napier to start winning … now … with what he has. A performance that got Zook fired in 2004, 7-5, would earn Napier a significant amount of grace. But he does have to earn that grace. Yes, painful as it is, I would rather start over than accept the normalization of losing seasons, which is what gifting Napier a fourth season in 2025 would mean if he fails again in 2024. And, yes, he did fail in 2022 and 2023. There’s no polishing the turd of those results. I’ll say it again: 2024 is make-or-break for Napier. And no amount of wishing, hoping, equivocating, rationalizing, or minimizing is going to change that.

 

This part of what you wrote is just — I’ll be magnanimous and say, extremely unenlightened. Most of the examples of losing to inferior competition of late (Kentucky and Vandy in 2022, Arkansas in 2023, etc) have come down to the failure of coaching to prepare the team, poor discipline from our players, and dumb in-game decisions. That’s all coaching, man. It’s not our opponents smelling blood in the water, or whatever, because the fanbase is impatient and unrealistic. And poor coaching is the source of the complaints here. If Napier wants to dial back the noise, then he needs start making better decisions and, consequently, winning football games. It’s been said ad naseum on here what a head scratcher it is that Napier calls most of the plays from the field, that he has two OL coaches, and that he doesn’t have an on-field ST coach. You can’t blame lack of stability on that. The cause and effect there is strictly in reverse.

 

Who is asking for .700? Since you are so tied up in history who was the last coach to be sub .500? I'll give you a hint, you mentioned him in that same post.

"WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET THERE by a musical chairs approach. We have to be patient and build both programs slowly. It’s the only way. Hoping on a quick fix like Spurrier, Meyer, or Donovan is like playing Russian Roulette."

The greatest coaches in UF history were all hired after another under performing coach was let go. You have literally listed the best examples to counter your own conclusion that musical chairs doesn't work.

 

Did you read my entire post to which you replied? I never said you claimed BN was doing a solid job. I said the guy who I was responding to, @gringoloco and others made that claim, which they have. I simply mentioned that you agreed with my prior post, which you did. And I have never said we need to Fire Napier. We have a difference of opinion about the direction of the program and whether or not he's the guy to lead us. That's great. But please don't put words in my mouth. I have respect and tolerance for anyone who takes a position that differs from mine. You defend yours well with information and reasoned arguments. Others do not and those are the people I have a problem with. A debate is when both sides present their positions with whatever information and evidence they have to support their argument. I have done that and continue to do that, while some choose not to respond to reasoned questions nor defend their position with evidence and/or reasoned arguments. I have no respect for them.

 

Well said.

What is the root cause of instability? Losing. Instability will never be fixed without addressing the root cause.

It's like stabbing yourself and saying the bleeding is the biggest issue. Yeah, well don't stab yourself and I bet bleeding won't be a problem.

 

It's not hostility, man. It's the fact that you refuse to debate. I and a few others have laid out our positions with information to support them and would hope that those who disagree will do the same. Instead, you just make false accusations and take sideways jabs without answering reasonable questions or providing evidence to defend your positions. I have no animosity towards you or anyone else. This horse has been beat to death and I have no problem agreeing to disagree. But I am still waiting on you to defend your position.

 

Galen wasn't fired due to underperformance.

 

I had hoped beyond hope that the comparisons to Norvell would finally stop after their program was hit by the NCAA for violations. What a fool I was.

This thread has become the perfect example of the two sides talking past one another. Lets call them AB and PB, Anti Billy and Pro Billy, because that is the only two positions that can possibly exist in the know universe, I would like to dub it "stupidsymmetry."

Summary of the past several pages:
PB: Just give him more time.
AB: OK, but when do we cut the cord?
PB: Why do you want him gone?
AB: I didn't say that, I asked when is enough enough.
PB: You just want him to fail so you can be right.
AB: No, I just know the odds are against him based on past examples.
PB: Norvell did it.
AB: OK, so you do understand that when I say odds I mean more times than not, correct?
PB: I only need 1 outlier to disprove your theory.
AB: I don't think you understand statistics.
PB: There is data that shows firing coaches after 2 seasons doesn't work.
AB: Of course, we are not asking for him to be fired before the season, so that data has no relevance and wasn't the discussion to begin with.
PB: We are in a rebuild.

 

Excellent analysis!!

 

In all honesty Ocala, I’m not sure what you mean by ‘defend my position’. I’ve stated it and you apparently disagree. Beyond that, “defending my position” boils down to just arguing back and forth.

So, repeating myself again, my position is that I believe Napier’s challenges are deeper and wider than many people realize, and I think the ‘noise in the system’ from the fans is only making his task more difficult. I believe all the negativity and discussions around what it will take for Billy to get fired are undermining Billy’s efforts to build confidence and respect with recruits.

If it weren’t for the fact that recruits, players, their families, and friends all read message boards and other social media, I wouldn’t care at all what other people here say about our coaches and players. Not one bit. I take none of this personally— to me it’s 100% about the detrimental impact on our program of all this sniping and open speculation around when Billy gets fired.

@wci347 has communicated this ‘position’ far more more eloquently than me. The other clear point he makes is that constant turnover in our coaching staff erodes any shot at re-establishing stability in our football program. Who can argue with that?

You declared that you’ve been a Gator fan longer than I’ve been breathing — that’s pretty funny. Two old guys, fans of the same team, arguing who’s older. LOL

 

That’s correct. He was fired to get him out of the way for a young up-and-coming coach: Gary Darnell.