Did anyone hear Collinsworth last night talking about Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions culture? When asked how has Dan Campbell been able to change the culture in Detroit, Cris responded; “I think that he came in and didn’t worry about winning right away. I think he came in and worried about establishing toughness, and establishing trust, and establishing communication, and listening to his players. But more than anything, what comes across to me is that since he got here and they lost a lot of games was how tough his team played.” I guess Cris puts a lot of value in culture. He was here when Pell changed ours.
Um, did he go 5-7 the first two years and show a lack of concern about STs? Does he run the offense as if he were, let's say a D2 program? Did the NFL change the way you obtain players and he was oblivious? Is there a sense of "normalcy" there instead of the Wild, Wild West??? Wins and losses are ancillary to showing progress. Someone whom will remain nameless has not shown much in the way of progress. My term is "doing the Hokey Pokey." It is about as apropos as there is. Tick....tick.....tick........
Did you even look at the Lions record? Wiithin three years, He improved them from 3 wins to 9 wins to 12 wins. I guess some here are deaf and some here are blind.
I give you Senior Night 2023 as evidence. I will give you Senior Day/Night next year as evidence as well.
Do you know who was given the time to establish a culture? Mike White. Sometimes, more time gets you a shinier ceiling. It is what it is. Now, under no circumstances am I going to proclaim that THE best candidate is just waiting for us to offer them a job in the next year or two. THAT is delusional.
I heard the same thing and immediately thought of CBN and our situation. While I agree with Collinsworth and love so much about what CBN is doing, he certainly has had some hiccups along the way. Our DL spitting on FSU is one example, our OL going into a fighter's stance vs UT is another. But I'm sure Campbell has as well. I know I have a different perspective that most but I see CBN as a work in process. While YES he has made his share of mistakes, he has the potential to be a great one. It will take a while, but he has the potential to grow, learn and get better. It seems that so much of Gator nation maintains that the way he is TODAY, and the past 2 seasons are the way he will be forever. I'm a coach (high school) and I find that notion ludicrous. I improved a huge amount in my first 10 years, and my first 2 years were especially bad. (And my sport is not 1% as competitive as SEC football.) But I went on to win double digit state titles...
Since you chose to "ding" me and not address my post, I will reply to yours. Um, you DO know there is a distinct difference between running a HS program and college football at the highest levels, correct? You DO realize that we are offering him (and anyone else for that matter) a HUGE chunk of change, correct? You DO realize that a ROI is in the cards sooner or later, correct? And lastly you DO realize that fannies in the seats, eyeballs on the TV, and cash flowing into the coffers from all avenues is done mainly by the Great Unwashed, correct? And yes, we are all suffering from Post-Meyer fatigue. As I said, progress is not a guarantee of wins, but you plainly know it when you see it. And as of right now, he has done little other than hit the reset on some of his coaches. That may work at the HS levels, it is playing with fire with this group of fans and their fatigue. But as I said (and continue to say), we shall see.
Waste of my time. If you won’t listen to Chris Collinsworth and Chris Doering, why would you listen to a total stranger?
Why would I listen to a talking head??? Please enlighten me as to what the "experts" think of the Washington coach taking the Bama job. Or what Christobal is going to do in his third year at Miami? I would just say that "I know you are, but what am I" kind of rhetoric is kind of "less-than-good". But that is just me. Have a take and make the point.
Nah, nothing I say is going to change your mind so why bother? I’ll only add that you and others here seem to reject the idea that Billy Napier is on a learning curve and will undoubtedly improve in his job. He’s already demonstrated the best recruiting this program has enjoyed in over a decade. He clearly has much to learn about coaching at the highest level for the first time in his career. He’s on a steep learning curve. But you and others here don’t seem to want to support him through that process. Instead, you choose to increase the headwinds he’s battling against. Are you self-destructive by nature?
Ima excercise some restrain here...dwindled 5 paragaraphs down to this: Napier controls his own destiny. We're all pulling for him. That is all. Thank you, and Go Gators!!
And yet, you plainly do NOT understand your "methodology" is exactly what we did with Mike White. Why do you ignore this? I realize you read my posts in isolation whereas I write them with a focus that has not changed at all and for a Reader's Digest version, it is all about....he IS running out of time with this fan base. Did you see where I postulated that thinking that THE best coach is just waiting for us to offer him the job is plainly delusional? I understand the "wash, rinse, repeat" cycle we are in can be an exercise in futility (see Tennessee and pre-Saban Bama). And I have posted before that this next season may not be about the w-l record at all (as odd as it sounds). BUT, there HAS to be signs of real progress and not another "whoops, my bad. I will try harder next time." This is MAJOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL at the highest levels. If you "need a hug" because "those mean Old Miss's and Auburns aren't playing nice" then you ARE in the wrong business. And to another point I make over and over, if the UF Brain Trust decides to go "all-in" and be another Bama, UGa, Clemson, OSU, etc, I WILL find something else to do in the fall. I want to live vicariously through young, passionate players who embrace the UF experience. Once they become de facto minor league players and/or mercenaries, that is NOT my cup of tea.
Bro....Collinsworth isn't just a talking head. He is an alumnus of UF, and [***a member of the NFL HOF, and besides the NFL HOF, he's almost guaranteed to become***] a member of the braodcaster's HOF (along with Red Barber, the only other Gator that I'm aware of). CC is legend. So that angle's not going to get you very far anywhere, let alone on a Gator Msg board. The only issue here really, is to what extent his quote is applicalbe to CBN/UF. (That's where I'll demur... a closer reading of the actual quote might tip some folks off as to why, but I shan't elaborte. I'm riding this ship sink or sail, and Billy's our Captain till we reach port...or otherwise). ***CORRECTIVE EDIT**** Cris Collinsworth is not in the NFL HOF; however, is has *ALREADY* been inducted into the Broadcasters' HOF: Cris Collinsworth Inducted into Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame - Florida Gators. ...and to rehabilitate his FB cred (that is, re-establish, since I had to recant on the NFL/HOF thing--he IS in UF's HOF, had a great career here (recuited as a QB, but switched to WR, and enjoyed a legendary career here, as well as with the Cincy Belgals for 8 years).
Unfortunately, that's the rub. Can anyone really show how Napier has instilled toughness into this team? They seem to be a lot more focused on making sure they have a great place to park their car, luxury digs to live in, and Filet Mignon on the training table than giving their all on the Football field on any given Saturday.
It has already become minor league sports. Isaiah Bond, Quinshon Judkins, and we can go on and on about players no longer having loyalty and following the dollar. It appears to me that your stance is that, that is a negative. Based on your not my cup of tea comment. Why does everyone else get to make money except the student athlete? The universities, coaches, tv networks, podcasters, radio channels, food vendors and many more, yet the people actually doing it do not get a cut. In all honesty it makes it much less fun that the kids dont have loyalty but why should they? Coaches certainly have shown they arent. Kalen Deboer just played in the national championship game and bye! If the topic is its not as much fun, I totally agree with you. If the topic is the kids should be loyal, I disagree. If I am 18 years old and my coach is giving 300k, and I can make a million dollars you can bet your ass I am jumping. I played D1 sports and was one of those that went pro in something other than sports. Do we all yearn for the days where the kids bled for their university? Absolutely, but when the coaches made millions and the universities billions, it was only a matter of time before the kids got their cut. Does it suck? Yea it kinda sucks, but I wont miss a game next season either.