Post-Game Discussion: FLORIDA at LSU

There are excuses for not raiding the portal, we've heard them all year: young, new staff, rebuilding, etc. Next years excuses are already tee'd up, still young, still rebuilding, tough schedule.

I tried to fight the current, but I've been defeated. I'm fully on board with the wait till 2025 crew, cause we are years away.

 

If in fact Billy jettisoned Toney after last year (which I believe he did) or Toney saw the writing and left on his own accord, then Billy has the chutzpah to fire any coaches after this season if he so chooses. I’m certain Billy sees the big picture and how it’s churning so fast. Spurrier did this as needed where Mullin stubbornly did not. Despite what we all think, it’s Billy’s decision to do what he thinks is best for the program. I’m confident Billy Napier will do what’s best for the team. Using AArmstrong as an example, if BN thinks he needs another year to coach this year, so be it. If not, AA will be released as well as any other coaches or associates. He is the CEO and the buck stops at his desk. I don’t necessarily blame BN but the sum of the parts may not be adding up this time.

 

And Arkansas amassed 10 points in a loss (at home today) to an average Auburn team.
This demonstrates how poor our defense is.

 

I think everyone knows at this point. The debate of whether it is coaching or talent is like arguing about what was the cause of death in a plane crash.

 

Overall, we have some good young players and some that shouldn't be on the field. And looking at their performance, especially our D, we have bad coaching. Lots of mistakes, out of position, lack of effort. All these can be coached up. But this is the end of Year 2 and we absolutely suck on D and are weak on the O-line and have regressed during the year. D was much better against TN and looked like they wanted to be out there. Tonight the D just quit in the 4th quarter and failed to put up any kind of a fight, laying down as LSU sailed down the field against AIR. That's coaching, strength and conditioning and we're woefully lacking all 3
Billy's presser was more undeserved praise for this losing team and was not inspiring for any hope for improvement. He seemed OK with it all.

 

Hey…at least ST didn’t cost us any point in this game…

 

Why wouldn't he be? We are not suppose to win this year and certainly not suppose to win this game. I tried to warn people about what you get from lower expectations, but what do I know, I'm just an idiot talking to the ether.

 

Secondary hasn’t been very good this year either.
The entire back end needs help, not sure if it’s scheme, talent or all of the above.
One DB seems to have really regressed which makes me think scheme.

 

I don't know how anyone could watch that game and conclude that our problem is that Billy is not cut out to be an SEC play caller. If we had even a mediocre defense, we would have put at least half a hundred on them.

We have had historically bad defenses for years now. It is not what Florida football used to be, that's for sure. We used to slobberknock people defensively. If we lost, it was by seven points. I'd prefer that, because what I am seeing now just baffles me.

 

Careful now, I've been told our DB coaches are top notch. It seems unlikely such top men are teaching the "let the WR run past you while you peak into the backfield" scheme.

 

[QUOTE="audiogatorjim, post: 15787695, member: 13638" He is the CEO and the buck stops at his desk. I don’t necessarily blame BN but the sum of the parts may not be adding up this time.[/QUOTE]

Nothing is adding up...

 

Who says that he is not doing that already.

The talent difference and/or inexperience may be great enough that no amount of coaching can overcome the deficiencies in the amount of time available so far.

More and better recruiting and continued "coaching them up" Are necessary.

In other words, it is going to take more time.

That is why I say that two more recruiting classes and another season and all the practices should get us there by 2025.

It takes time and lots of coaching to get there.

Particularly when you consider all we lost with the transition to Napier.

We will get there if we persevere.

 

The QB run really screwed us.

 

I think Raymond IS a top notch DB coach. The people at LSU sure thought so, and it showed on the field. Raymond proved himself at Nebraska first, then LSU. The guy has coached up outstanding DBs at both places, and the stats prove it. He didn't forget how to coach when he came to UF.

Talent is clearly a problem with our D. Florida has not had a great defense since Muschamp's second year, when we were still loaded with Meyer's recruits.

We used to intimidate the hell out of opposing offenses by hitting them relentlessly. Meyer's D did it, Spurrier's D did it ( at least when Stoops was here), and Hall and Pell's defenses were massive headhunters. They hit like Mack trucks. Receivers going across the middle then had to wonder whether they were going to get a concussion or have a ruptured spleen. If you put fear into the offense, they don't perform so well. No one is afraid of us now.

In '08 natty, we only needed 24 points to beat Stoops and his vaunted Oklahoma offense-by ten points. You don't need to score fifty points to win games, if you have a defense.

 

Was watching Gators Breakdown, apparently LSU had 570 yards offense vs Army and 620 yards vs Grambling. They had 701 yards vs us, our defense was really pathetic, clearly more than just talent issues. Even a lifeless Arkansas offense that needed to fire its OC scored 33 points on us during regulation time.

 

9 whole games! Wow! They must be ready to retire! Just kidding!

No offense, but that is not much experience!

Patience! Grasshopper! (For you unfamiliar with the remark look up "Kung Fu" - a long forgotten TV series from 1972 and reruns!)

We will get better!

 

Are UF fans just committed to the bit with the “we’re just young” nonsense? Or are some of you actually buying Billy’s nonsense. He constructed the team like this by design. Young players are supposed to show improvement, not regression.

 

i don't think anyone on our current team would even be considered for a starting position (or maybe even a backup) on our 2008 team. Not an excuse for our current mess, just the reality of it.

 

This is mainly an epilog to the season rather than some dissertation about how this game is a symptom of some bigger issues. THAT was provided in my novel in the post-Arkansas game, circa Tuesday or Wednesday. I forget. Anyways,

If I had to find a "culprit" in this game, if people need one and I am plainly not going to take that tack for the remainder of the season, it is the offensive co-ordinator. I will give a very slight nod towards Mertz's overall play but IMO, Mertz is Mertz. He is not a mobile QB and he tends to overthink some things. He quite obviously has decided that our passing offense consists of short passes to Trey and occasionally a "gotcha" pass to Hansen. Pearsall is more of a "oh yeah!" kind of player until further notice. Whatever confidence he built with the USCe win has been brought back to reality, probably more to do with better defenses he is playing. He isn't rising to the competition, he is hitting his ceiling. It is what it is.

So, back to the "OC". If there is a sign that he IS the culprit, when the game was out-of-reach (and yes, LSU played defense differently) Mertz was looking for passes that he wasn't before. I don't see this as a Mertz thing, it is the play calling and the governor Napier is putting on the offense. Mop-up stats are strictly for stats losers who want to rationalize their beliefs. In the USCe game Mertz was going down field and in plenty of instances they weren't completed. That to me was Napier telling Mertz to change strategies. It is called "getting experience" and it should have paid dividends in the last three games. It has NOT.

Tell me what would have happened potentially in this and the last game if a more experienced Brown could have come in and run RPOs or even blatant QB runs? But since Brown wasn't developed during the "easy" games, he was not prepared to be Plan B in this kind of game. Pity. Not to pull Mertz, just to do something to shake up the LSU and the Arkansas defense - and keep them them where their stats tell them they reside...in less-than-middling territory. I posted this in the Post-Arky thread before our game. Arky lost...at home...against a 5-4 Auburn team....48-10. The optics are more than a bad set of circumstances. This is now a trend.

The defense is what it is. Get used to large scores on the opponents' side, unless the other teams have a BAD game. What I am going to wait to see with interest is whether there is some "old coaches - new/young DC" dynamic going on and whether there is going to be some sort of showdown by the end of the season and right afterwards. That could mean that both the D-line coach and Raymond may "negotiate" with Napier as to what they require in a DC. As of now, I don't see it, but when your job is being threatened by poor outcomes, human nature can make people do "interesting" things. We shall see.

As I see it, the remainder of the season is going to be about Napier addressing the issues, at least internally, so that everyone KNOWS what will happen to each player/coach and so the coaches can confidently continue to reach out to the recruits. Saving the class IS the most important thing now. And anything that causes the coaches/players to flinch in that effort is going to be BAAAAAAD.

Unless FSU is a magical win (Miami isn't very good and they scored a lot of points against them in Tallahassee) we aren't going to make it to 6 wins. The optics of the future WILL manifest pretty soon. Not that it is a fun thing, but it WILL be real. Gotta have faith in the long-term, and I mean the U of F and not any regime. We shall see where all this leads. Take care everyone. It is a GAME and not world peace.

 

I’m not ready to give up on Austin Armstrong yet. He has energy and I think a good defensive mind. I also admit he is learning as we go.
We were thin on defensive talent from the get-go this season and then we lost Justus Boone, Shemar James ( best linebacker) and Jack Pyburn, who was starting to contribute. We also have had defensive players like Sapp and Jackson who have/are playing through injuries. We just don’t have the quality depth, yet, to handle that kind of adversity.
We have played a tough schedule. If nothing else we are battle tested. Missouri will be a challenge but we have a chance. Probably have a better chance against a good FSU team. We get them at home, we hate them, and their schedule has been very weak. They also have had a lot of good fortune this season. Clemson is down but should have beat them, Duke had them on the ropes but their QB was injured during the game, and they didn’t play, arguably the two teams in that conference who could have matched up with them, Louisville and North Carolina.