I hope you are right about Warner, but after next week's game and it is about the same... What is the excuse then? Georgia will be in Atlanta, @ LSU, @ TX A&M, @ OLE Miss. I am going to say that is more difficult, you are free to disagree if you want.
I think every game from this day forward is a measuring stick. As far as how we fare, of course I’m hoping we get DJ back but, I’m more concerned about the number of players, many of whom are big contributors, that aren’t playing. DB’s OL, RB, WR, Linebacker, and of course QB are areas where we are hard hit. And I hate being in the dark about guys like Andy Jean and Trey Wilson. This team has some fight to it but, seeing so many fellow players out has got to be discouraging.
Of course Warner looked like a deer in the headlights; because he was. He did the best he could considering the circumstances. The staff has their work cut out for them trying to field an offense for the remainder of the season. The most encouraging thing I am seeing is NO QUIT on this team.
Hogwash. The players were there but not Napier. Who the heck would call a naked bootleg against one of the best defenses in the FBS with a 3rd string walk-on????? What a boneheaded play, especially when we were running the frickin ball so well. Does Napier have Dementia? We just scored a rushing TD on the drive before, Georgia had no answer and were wearing them down. 30 yards on 4 rushes on that drive. And then 1st down decided to call a naked bootleg.
P Ole Miss loses a lot of players, including Jaxon Dart. We do get Tennessee and Texas at home. But you’re right, at this point it’s subjective and we are each entitled to our opinion. I will say that either way it’s a ridiculously difficult schedule.
Warner did as well as he could given the circumstances. I don't blame him for the loss, I blame Napier for putting too much on him. It was a boneheaded call to ask a 3rd string walk-on to run a naked bootleg against one of the best defenses in the FBS. Rather than running the ball, which we were doing very effectively, Napier goes all-in with a naked bootleg. The offensive line was doing well with their run blocking and the backs up until that moment were averaging nearly 5 yards a pop. We had just rushed for 30 yards on 4 carries on the previous drive that lead to a TD. Yet, on 1st down, deep on our end of the field, Napier decides to put the entire game in the hands of a 3rd string walk-on. It was one of the worst calls Napier has made as HBC.
“At some point, a coach is evaluated on the totality of his tenure, not a game of what-if, or what could’ve been if this player or that player (or a handful of defensive backs) didn’t get hurt. There’s nothing fair about coaching football when you’re making $8 million annually to do so.”
Perhaps a counter to all that is that BN went for it like we have cussed him for not doing before. Who would have expected anything but run again on first down? Granted, PWO QB isn’t the best for that play but that adds to the unexpectedness. Unexpected play? Stupid play? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
The receiver was open if Warner would have thrown it sooner. More reps in practice may have helped. There has been a lot of complaining about Napier being too conservative. In this instance, I don’t disagree with the call. It just wasn’t executed as designed.
You go for it, when something isn't working. I agree throwing on 1st down would have been a good call had we shown we couldn't run the ball, but we were on our way to a 200 yard rushing performance and Georgia had no answer for it. Even stacking the box with 8 and 9 guys, we scored a rushing TD on the drive before. 30 yards on 4 attempts, all big yardage. We didn't even get a chance to try again. This is Napier in a nut shell. He calls the wrong play at the wrong time. He goes against conventional wisdom and it usually always bites him in the ass. The botched FG is what it is, I've come to expect one or 2 of these late in every big game, will expect it over the next 4 games. It is what it is. But the playcalling for a guy that earns more money than pretty much every Group of 5 programs pays their staff. Let that set in. Napier earns almost triple what Clark Lea makes at Vandy. Vandy is getting their money's worth, we aren't. Vandy is bowl eligible on November 1st, 6-3.
This is what Gator fans have turned into. I agree with you had we had Lagway or Mertz making the play. But you are asking a 3rd string walk-on having no reps with little to no experience make a play that no coach in America would call. I'm not saying the call itself was bad, it was asking a 3rd string walk-on freshman to make that play.
“Mike Leach used to have a sign hanging in his office everywhere he coached, positioned perfectly so every assistant coach could see it every time they walked into the room. You’re either coaching it, or you’re allowing it. This is where we are with the Florida administration. You’re either expecting excellence, or you’re allowing mediocrity. You're either demanding more, or you're accepting a fourth straight losing season for the first time since the 1940s. You’re either expecting your head coach — whose offense had a clear advantage running the ball against Georgia, and was wearing down the Bulldogs’ defense — to run the ball, or you’re allowing him to put the game in the hands of Warner with four minutes to play and trailing by seven. The play call, on the first play of the drive: a naked bootleg. The result: an interception.”
Matt Hayes is right. You can’t look at this one game. You have to look at the body of work. With the #51 recruiting class in November, you just can’t keep him.
Yes but Vandy is a powerhouse that can get 3-4 wins on its storied football history alone so it really isn't fair to compare Florida to Vandy.
LOL. If I only had a dollar for every time someone posted on here to roll Lagway out of the pocket. Same Lagway that was 7/14 last game and 2/6 this game. But we do that with Warner and it's the worst call ever. Guess what, not every play is going to be successful. Warner has the option to throw it out of bounds....
