PERSPECTIVE AFTER KENTUCKY
Although it was a good and productive win, it was hard to get motivated to write this perspective about a football game after Timmy getting hurt. I am embarrassed to admit that my first thought upon seeing Timmy lying on the turf motionless was a very selfish one. “Oh no, if he is seriously hurt there goes our season”.
That thought quickly vanished as I tried to come to grips with the reality that the young man we have all come to love and admire was in obvious distress. One look at the faces of the medical personnel that rushed to him spoke volumes. I got down on my knees and prayed that he was not paralyzed or seriously injured in a way that would affect his way of life. Not football, but his ability to walk, talk and live a normal life.
I thought about how ironic it was that for a few minutes prior to the hit ESPN had been saying they were going to discuss “Life after Tebow” and now we were facing the distinct possibility that we had seen his last football play, period. I am not trying to be over dramatic; I am just relating what was going through my mind.
The sense of relief when he finally sat up was tremendous and as he walked off the field I knew he would be all right, at least on a personal level. After the game restarted, quite honestly I had a hard time caring what was going on out on the field. I was more interested in how Timmy was doing. The shots of Meyer convinced me that he was having similar problems focusing on the game with Timmy’s health still in question. There is no question that Meyer and Tebow are as close as they say. I cannot imagine how it felt for Meyer to see his surrogate son lying motionless on the turf. I know how I felt and I am sure his anguish was even worse.
Before I make any comments about the game itself, the real perspective is that no matter how passionate we are as fans and no matter how important the Gators are to us, it is, after all, just a game. I can honestly say that if it were my choice and I could choose between a National Championship with Brantley filling in for a seriously injured Tebow and falling short of the championship with a healthy Tebow, I would choose the latter.
Now for my perspective on the game and the season thus far:
1. We are one-third of the way through the schedule and are exactly where we hoped we would be, undefeated and ranked #1.
2. This open week could not have come at a better time, even before Tebow got hurt. With the flu and the slower than desired development of the WRs, an extra week to get well and prepared for the trip to LSU is very welcome.
3. Face it guys, we are a running team. We will throw only when we have to and to set up the run. Of course, when you have been as productive as our running game has been (362 yards yesterday) it makes sense to run it.
4. The first quarter yesterday may have been the most impressive quarter of football I have ever seen the Gators play in the 40 years I have been following them. The Defense played the way we all hoped and thought they would play. The Offense continually had the advantage of a short field to work with. The Special teams were truly special. Shutting down their very good kick-returner was extremely impressive. After all, one of our most glaring weaknesses over the past several years has been our kickoff coverage. I often wondered how we could be so good on punt coverage and so consistently poor on kick coverage.
5. I still cannot understand why we do not run Moody more. My source close to the team insists that he is NOT in the doghouse and his practice habits are good. Contrary to popular opinion, he is not still being punished for his fumble in game 1. If you will notice he protects the ball every time he runs. He has the combination of speed and power that Rainey and Demps lack. That is not a knock on either as they both have gotten stronger or each is more likely to “take it to the house” than is Moody. However, Moody is a “move the pile” type of runner with the capability of breaking off a long run every time he touches the ball. I was livid in the fourth quarter after Moody had gained 8 yards on 2nd and 10 and he was removed and Rainey came in only to run him up the middle for no gain. Why take Moody out and insert the smaller RB to run up the middle? Maybe I am being a little too picky in a blowout win; however, I am just searching for a little understanding.
6. Spikes played great yesterday, however, I think that Stamper may be our best LB right now. The difference is that Stamper tackles people while Spikes destroys them. We are extremely fortunate to have them both.
7. I seem to say every week how I hate to complain about officials, however, there were several calls (particularly the phantom holding call on Hernandez) that made it clear the officials were trying to hold down the score. It is not their job to try and influence the game in any way no matter who is winning and by how much. After Tebow got hurt, I was very angry with the official that called the BS holding call on Hernandez, as Tebow should have been on the sideline sipping Gatorade rather than lying motionless on the field.
8. On the play where Timmy was injured it appeared that Patchen let the DE go to help out inside. I feel sure that mistake will be addressed in the film (video) room this week. No, I am not blaming Patchen for Tebow’s injury, just an observation.
9. It is troubling that our WRs cannot seem to get any separation. They were all highly recruited and are very fast. This leads me to think it is a scheme problem more so than a personnel problem. With the proficiency of our running game you would think the WR would be running wide open as the opponents have to commit extra defenders in an attempt to stop the run. I also think we are underutilizing Hernandez in the passing game.
10. It is certainly nice to be complaining about a team that is 4-0, ranked #1 in the country and considered by some to be one of the best teams in college football history. In the first quarter yesterday we sure played like one of the best teams ever.
11. Where is the bubble screen? Where is the “Wild Gator”? Where is the jet sweep? Where is the quick slant that Percy ran so successfully? I know we have been told that we have opened up the playbook; however, if that is true it appears that some of the pages are stuck together.
12. Putting Tebow’s injury aside, it was almost a perfect college football Saturday. A blowout win for UF, an embarrassing loss for the SOW and a beat down of the “U”. If UGA had blown the game to ASU it would have been perfect for me. The SOW and the “Phew” are indeed back, back to the mediocrity we thought they would flounder in. Harris’ Heisman run lasted exactly one week. How embarrassing that the SOW managed 19 yards rushing against USF. There is not a “Big 3” in Florida, just Urban and the two dwarfs.
13. The SOW and the Phew settling back into mediocrity will thwart any recruiting momentum they were starting to build. It is just going to be more of the same in Tallahassee and Miami and the more intelligent recruits will see that. Had the Noles continued to play like they did against BYU it would have increased their chances of pulling Luc. I feel more and more confident that he ends up in orange and blue.
14. I now would put our chances of getting Dunkley at 99%, Powell at 90% and the chances of landing Floyd at 60%. I hope that Powell and Floyd made their scheduled trip to USC this weekend. How pumped up and excited do you think the crowd at USC was for a “tough game” with Washington State, especially after the loss to Washington last week. I am sure the atmosphere was nowhere near that at the Swamp last week.
15. While I can’t go into specifics, the perceived weakness of our WRs has had a positive effect on WR recruiting. In fact, a couple of WR recruits who are committed to other schools have contacted UF and expressed renewed interest in UF. Also, there is a couple of other high profile “mystery recruits” other than WR that are also very interested. To reveal their identities could possibly jeopardize their present offers.
16. The staff will use some of the time this off-week to narrow the Board somewhat to concentrate their efforts on their primary targets. The “problem” lately has been the increased interest expressed by recruits who were thought to solid elsewhere. This staff has been pretty good at turning commitments (especially ND’s). In fact, they were very close to getting Trent Richardson to switch last year. From his play yesterday it is clear that he will be a great one.
17. I know I keep saying it, but I will be shocked if we do not end up with the #1 class putting more distance between us and most of our rivals, even though both UT and UGA will have highly rated classes as well. No matter how good their classes are, they still have to “coach them up”. Therein lies the problem.
18. Congrats to Coach Meyer for being voted Coach of the Decade by the Sporting News. We are truly lucky that he has graced with him as our coach.
19. I would ask everyone to pray for Tebow’s speedy and complete recovery. He is not only the face of Florida football, but also the face of college football. He is a once-in-a-lifetime player and person. Enjoy him while he is ours.
20. It is Great to be a Florida Gator!
Although it was a good and productive win, it was hard to get motivated to write this perspective about a football game after Timmy getting hurt. I am embarrassed to admit that my first thought upon seeing Timmy lying on the turf motionless was a very selfish one. “Oh no, if he is seriously hurt there goes our season”.
That thought quickly vanished as I tried to come to grips with the reality that the young man we have all come to love and admire was in obvious distress. One look at the faces of the medical personnel that rushed to him spoke volumes. I got down on my knees and prayed that he was not paralyzed or seriously injured in a way that would affect his way of life. Not football, but his ability to walk, talk and live a normal life.
I thought about how ironic it was that for a few minutes prior to the hit ESPN had been saying they were going to discuss “Life after Tebow” and now we were facing the distinct possibility that we had seen his last football play, period. I am not trying to be over dramatic; I am just relating what was going through my mind.
The sense of relief when he finally sat up was tremendous and as he walked off the field I knew he would be all right, at least on a personal level. After the game restarted, quite honestly I had a hard time caring what was going on out on the field. I was more interested in how Timmy was doing. The shots of Meyer convinced me that he was having similar problems focusing on the game with Timmy’s health still in question. There is no question that Meyer and Tebow are as close as they say. I cannot imagine how it felt for Meyer to see his surrogate son lying motionless on the turf. I know how I felt and I am sure his anguish was even worse.
Before I make any comments about the game itself, the real perspective is that no matter how passionate we are as fans and no matter how important the Gators are to us, it is, after all, just a game. I can honestly say that if it were my choice and I could choose between a National Championship with Brantley filling in for a seriously injured Tebow and falling short of the championship with a healthy Tebow, I would choose the latter.
Now for my perspective on the game and the season thus far:
1. We are one-third of the way through the schedule and are exactly where we hoped we would be, undefeated and ranked #1.
2. This open week could not have come at a better time, even before Tebow got hurt. With the flu and the slower than desired development of the WRs, an extra week to get well and prepared for the trip to LSU is very welcome.
3. Face it guys, we are a running team. We will throw only when we have to and to set up the run. Of course, when you have been as productive as our running game has been (362 yards yesterday) it makes sense to run it.
4. The first quarter yesterday may have been the most impressive quarter of football I have ever seen the Gators play in the 40 years I have been following them. The Defense played the way we all hoped and thought they would play. The Offense continually had the advantage of a short field to work with. The Special teams were truly special. Shutting down their very good kick-returner was extremely impressive. After all, one of our most glaring weaknesses over the past several years has been our kickoff coverage. I often wondered how we could be so good on punt coverage and so consistently poor on kick coverage.
5. I still cannot understand why we do not run Moody more. My source close to the team insists that he is NOT in the doghouse and his practice habits are good. Contrary to popular opinion, he is not still being punished for his fumble in game 1. If you will notice he protects the ball every time he runs. He has the combination of speed and power that Rainey and Demps lack. That is not a knock on either as they both have gotten stronger or each is more likely to “take it to the house” than is Moody. However, Moody is a “move the pile” type of runner with the capability of breaking off a long run every time he touches the ball. I was livid in the fourth quarter after Moody had gained 8 yards on 2nd and 10 and he was removed and Rainey came in only to run him up the middle for no gain. Why take Moody out and insert the smaller RB to run up the middle? Maybe I am being a little too picky in a blowout win; however, I am just searching for a little understanding.
6. Spikes played great yesterday, however, I think that Stamper may be our best LB right now. The difference is that Stamper tackles people while Spikes destroys them. We are extremely fortunate to have them both.
7. I seem to say every week how I hate to complain about officials, however, there were several calls (particularly the phantom holding call on Hernandez) that made it clear the officials were trying to hold down the score. It is not their job to try and influence the game in any way no matter who is winning and by how much. After Tebow got hurt, I was very angry with the official that called the BS holding call on Hernandez, as Tebow should have been on the sideline sipping Gatorade rather than lying motionless on the field.
8. On the play where Timmy was injured it appeared that Patchen let the DE go to help out inside. I feel sure that mistake will be addressed in the film (video) room this week. No, I am not blaming Patchen for Tebow’s injury, just an observation.
9. It is troubling that our WRs cannot seem to get any separation. They were all highly recruited and are very fast. This leads me to think it is a scheme problem more so than a personnel problem. With the proficiency of our running game you would think the WR would be running wide open as the opponents have to commit extra defenders in an attempt to stop the run. I also think we are underutilizing Hernandez in the passing game.
10. It is certainly nice to be complaining about a team that is 4-0, ranked #1 in the country and considered by some to be one of the best teams in college football history. In the first quarter yesterday we sure played like one of the best teams ever.
11. Where is the bubble screen? Where is the “Wild Gator”? Where is the jet sweep? Where is the quick slant that Percy ran so successfully? I know we have been told that we have opened up the playbook; however, if that is true it appears that some of the pages are stuck together.
12. Putting Tebow’s injury aside, it was almost a perfect college football Saturday. A blowout win for UF, an embarrassing loss for the SOW and a beat down of the “U”. If UGA had blown the game to ASU it would have been perfect for me. The SOW and the “Phew” are indeed back, back to the mediocrity we thought they would flounder in. Harris’ Heisman run lasted exactly one week. How embarrassing that the SOW managed 19 yards rushing against USF. There is not a “Big 3” in Florida, just Urban and the two dwarfs.
13. The SOW and the Phew settling back into mediocrity will thwart any recruiting momentum they were starting to build. It is just going to be more of the same in Tallahassee and Miami and the more intelligent recruits will see that. Had the Noles continued to play like they did against BYU it would have increased their chances of pulling Luc. I feel more and more confident that he ends up in orange and blue.
14. I now would put our chances of getting Dunkley at 99%, Powell at 90% and the chances of landing Floyd at 60%. I hope that Powell and Floyd made their scheduled trip to USC this weekend. How pumped up and excited do you think the crowd at USC was for a “tough game” with Washington State, especially after the loss to Washington last week. I am sure the atmosphere was nowhere near that at the Swamp last week.
15. While I can’t go into specifics, the perceived weakness of our WRs has had a positive effect on WR recruiting. In fact, a couple of WR recruits who are committed to other schools have contacted UF and expressed renewed interest in UF. Also, there is a couple of other high profile “mystery recruits” other than WR that are also very interested. To reveal their identities could possibly jeopardize their present offers.
16. The staff will use some of the time this off-week to narrow the Board somewhat to concentrate their efforts on their primary targets. The “problem” lately has been the increased interest expressed by recruits who were thought to solid elsewhere. This staff has been pretty good at turning commitments (especially ND’s). In fact, they were very close to getting Trent Richardson to switch last year. From his play yesterday it is clear that he will be a great one.
17. I know I keep saying it, but I will be shocked if we do not end up with the #1 class putting more distance between us and most of our rivals, even though both UT and UGA will have highly rated classes as well. No matter how good their classes are, they still have to “coach them up”. Therein lies the problem.
18. Congrats to Coach Meyer for being voted Coach of the Decade by the Sporting News. We are truly lucky that he has graced with him as our coach.
19. I would ask everyone to pray for Tebow’s speedy and complete recovery. He is not only the face of Florida football, but also the face of college football. He is a once-in-a-lifetime player and person. Enjoy him while he is ours.
20. It is Great to be a Florida Gator!
