How critical is the Miami game?

I personally love the offense. One of its knocks is that its hard to recruit bigtime WR's because their primary purpose is to block. When you have a really great WR like Tech did with Demaryous Thomas and a QB that can get it to them...it can be very dangerous. In a game where the QB only attempts 2 and completes zero passes, the other team usually wins.

 

Re Mullen: really seemed into it his first two seasons. Que paso?

 

Ah, I remember that one well, too. My Marine buddies from UF met up with me at the San DieGo Gators (get it?) Club at the Pacific Beach Hooters. There was a table full of Poodle fans there just to see Georgia finally win one on its inexorable journey to the MNC and watch all of the Gator fans suffer in the process. They were loud in the beginning of the game as I recall.

 

I lived in PB for a while. Went to MBHS and PBJH

 

Practically a must-win. A loss to a hated rival will start the season off on a sour note in a crucial year for the head coach.

 

What is we go 6-6 and get a bowl game?

Early signing is in December, before a bowl game.

Hopefully, we don’t get some 9-3 team going for a tenth win.

Lose, and we end up with a losing season.

Also, hopefully, we don’t miss a game due to a hurricane that we likely would have won and end up 5-6.

 

some of the seats in the Coluseum

The end zone seats in the Coliseum are in a different zip code! He is in for a rude awakening.

 

Mullen's biggest fault, in my opinion, was that he did not think every game mattered. We could "afford" to lose to LSU or in a bowl game. It's OK to take that game off. EVERY GAME MATTERS. IT'S NEVER OK TO TAKE A GAME OFF.

 

Over the past two seasons, I’ve seen some games against Kentucky, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt that suggest “taking games off” is not strictly a Mullen habit.

 

To me that was a symptom of the bigger flaws he had. Hypocrisy when preaching accountability and "gator standard." He used "maximum strain" to preach effort each and every rep and then failed that standard of effort in recruiting and as you said, taking games "off" so to speak.

 

Huh? Arkansas? A game where our offense did plenty to win only to have the defense minus James blow it as usual? How did they " take that game off?"

 

It’s more important we start 5-2

It doesn’t matter the order.

 

The attitude that a game doesn’t matter, just creeps into the mindset of an entire team. Non-playoff bowl games kind of fall into that category whether you like it or not when you’re top players set the game out but any regular season game, should be played like it’s the last game you ever play. I do understand it’s hard to get your team up for every game but a coach Needs to get his team motivated the best he can and that’s what really separates a lot of coaches more than x’s and o’s. The best year that Miss champ had, our offense was pretty horrid, but damn those boys played hard.

 

I suggest you go back and watch it again. Observe how headwork error after headwork error allowed a team that couldn’t beat any other SEC team last year come into our house and win. My favorite, of course, was the special teams tomfoolery (not the defense) that blew an easy chip shot FG for the win. Arkansas was and is a joke, man. That game never should have even been within their reach. Absolute failure to prepare for a game (the last best hope) that would have made us bowl eligible. Yes, I call that taking a game off.

 

I have had similar musings. One thought that has occurred to me is if we have six wins going into the SWAC game in Tallahassee. If I was Napier I would bring in all of my potential “opt outs” to my office one at a time and ask them their intentions for their team’s final game. If they say they intend to play, then — great! — I’m going to ask they declare it publicly to their team and the world. If they say, “Nah, it’s all about me,” then no problem. I’m going to go ahead and “opt out” as head coach bringing them to Tallahassee with me. After all, I don’t want them to risk hurting themselves against the Crims either, and I will have other players who need the reps if we are going to be competitive in the bowl.

 

So they played a game par for the course and because it meant more but didn't win it was a game off? OK.

We struggled against Charlotte at home. We somehow competed against Missouri on the road. We had head cases like Princeley, scooby and Etienne still playing as featured players while losing our only real linebacker in James. They also got their runnigback back for that game...of course.

The team wasn't good. That continues year 3 then we got problems.

 

The team wasn’t good. That is true. Still, they were better than Arkansas in terms of talent and with a homefield advantage. Losing was inexcusable. But, yes, we agree that if it continues into Year 3, we have a big problem.

 

6 wins and he’s firmly on the hot seat. That is like 60/40 he keeps his job. If he has 6 wins going into FSU (and/or the bowl) he needs to bring the absolute house

It’s a fine line. If he goes into FSU with 7 wins, and wins, we are a borderline playoff team.

If he goes in with 6 wins, loses, then loses the bowl…

 

I actually don’t think that would be the case. To me, a losing season is a losing season. But I think the powers that be would grant another year with six wins, even with a bowl loss. Hell, I’ve seen people on here argue that anything north of two wins is somehow mission success that portends great things for the future, so I think six regular season wins would probably do it.