Agree with your 1 and 2. I do believe we had better chances with DJ, mainly because he throws the deep ball so well and I’m not sure Mertz can throw it that far.
I am in the super minority apparently, but I voted CBN as he's still the head coach. And even as the players on D asked for a change Billy could have blown them off and sailed off into the sunset $26mil dollars richer. Team was also decimated with injuries yet the entire team stayed together and kept improving. To me we have to give credit, where credit is due. I was fully on board with CBN until the Miami game, then after the horrendous start to the season agreed he needed to go. Now this roller coaster season showed he brought in the right type of kids and AC's to turn around that nightmare this season was facing. But PLEASE for the love of God hire the best OC in the business this offseason, Billy....
Good take. In this age of NIL/Portal culture, the team would have fallen apart if we were using the Vanderbilt coach's transactional approach. Napier's pressers are vanilla and generic which can be maddening for fans but he must be the real deal genuine article to have so many kids and parents show unwavering commitment to him outside of a handful of cast-offs.
Yes exactly, just look over at fsu for example. They were on the cusp of a playoff berth just last year and even their own podcasters say the kids have quit on Norvell. Also I totally forgot that the main man Steven Spurrier even said to calm down and let CBN work. He def knows what he was talking about.
I think the people that most needed calming are right here on GC. I keep coming back to it but my hat is off to the fans/students/alum that showed up and showed out at the Swamp this year, in spite of the early season struggles. That is the physical embodiment of HOPE, and Billy says, and he's right, hope is a powerful thing. In that, I think injuries to the stars and DJ's place in the hot seat generated a protective and nurturing desire in those fans that come to the games, to be there for the youngsters. Those fans renewed the respect I have for the people that buy tickets and build their fall seasons around the team. The fans WERE the 12th man in the Swamp when it was 'becoming' what it was reputed to be. I have seen the Vol fans up here keep showing up for the teams, even when the teams disappointed them on the scoreboard and I wondered if Florida fans were capable of such loyalty. My question has been soundly answered. If "character" is what you are when no one is looking, then "fans" show their character when they come to cheer for a team even if the prospect of a celebratory win is uncertain.
Nice post but I also believe Gator fans have never had turnouts like the embarrassments in Tallahassee and Miami over the years where 1/2 to 2/3rds of the stadiums are empty. We have had some pretty terrible seasons where that could have happened. I think GC fans are weary after seeing failed coaches time and time again and turnarounds like this are a pretty rare exception so the trepidation and criticism was warranted. Back to your point, this narrative that Gator fans are spoiled and Fairweather should be put to rest. At a minimum we are no more entitled than any other major school fanbase and if anything we have been tested a great deal more than several other programs. Bama fans are coming apart at the seems over a 3 loss season. Unfortunately OSU seems like this might be their year but those Aholes need some humility and adversity of their own. I guarantee it would get ugly quick.
Thanks for a careful consideration of my opinion. I'd say our stadium experience has stayed consistently high relative to FSU and Miami. I think the problem with success is the expectations it seems to inspire. How to maintain success with realistic expectations in balance.
Sort of relative. I've mentioned this before here. I was at UF during the 96 season. We were destroying LSU at home that year and I told my buddy the games were boring because of how bad we were beating teams. He told me I was an idiot and he loved every second of it. He was absolutely correct. What a dummy I was. Lord I miss seasons like this now lol
i agree this is the forum for criticism/Sunday morning QBing of the past game and general program health. Its the vitriol and character assumptions of the coaches and even players that is over the top. I find it unsettling that many on here choose to harp on the same points well after the horse has been beaten to death. Ditto for the doom and gloom from the analytic crowd who try to predict future performance with certainty. When they dont appear to understand the human dynamic of team sports and evolution of a team beyond its individual components. Regardless this has been a fun team to watch and i look forward to being entertained the rest of the season. I’m also thankful that many other fans have filled the stadium to rally around the team and help get them over the hump this year. Lastly, i would like nothing more than to woodshed free shoe U to put a bow on the 2024 regular season.
I think it makes seasons like this, with unexpected success (relatively), more enjoyable for the intensity of the highs and lows. Adversity reveals character far more than sucess ever will. Remember our student-athletes are there to gain an education. I think they are.
Sadly, the sentiments shared here are waaay more tempered than other sites that are not as moderated. I mean it's really bad. I work in a field where we make really inappropriate jokes about each other and the stuff said about Napier and company on these other sites rivals it. Difference is ours are jokes and we are accountable for our words whereas these clowns are serious and faceless keyboard warriors.
All very true, and the sacks and turnovers have started to come for some reason. Remember when we couldn't buy a turnover and we might get 1 sack a game? Sacked the crap out of LSU (maybe they thought it was Troy Smith back there) and 3 turnovers versus Ole Miss is pretty good. The production on those two stats helps with the bend but don't break style they play.
I have an image of him sitting on a water cooler on the sideline coaching while eating a hoagie. Not sure if that is a real memory or a construct. lol
I was wondering if those are the games I am remembering when the game threads were fun? It’s hard to be negative when you are cow stomping everyone.
