ADVERTISEMENT

Basketball Some positivity (not football)

Football is cooked, no need for another thread about Billy sucking and who we need. Those questions will be answered in the coming months, kiffin me.

On to basketball, should be a fun year. A little concerned about playmaking on offense at the guard spot (other than Clayton) but we should be elite defensively. What are yalls concerns and excitement? As well as @Tarjf and @Celtics99, any concerns and excitement? Can’t wait!

Football How much of yesterday was on Mertz?

I haven't watched the replay (and probably can't stomach it anyway) but he looked off yesterday. Couldn't convert on 3rd downs, threw into triple teams. When you have a jailbreak for an OLine you have to go to Lagaway and have his feet be a weapon that Mertz doesn't have. I appreciate Mertz trying to be a leader but with the team we need a playmaker at QB and just live with the mistakes that will come with Lagaway. Mertz couldn't get this team going yesterday
  • Like
Reactions: berngator

Football It’s simply recruiting

After 24 hours of pondering in thought about where the state of this program sits, I’ve come to a simple conclusion.

First, my 81 year old father and I walked into the swamp for our 54th season in section 17. Walking in I did not believe the highlight of the day would be that walk with my father, but it was and I am truly grateful to be with him. We have witnessed some incredible wins, heartbreaking losses, a bad tie to Rutgers and ga tech in 79’, and many, many more great times together. That said, yesterday was likely the most unexpected and disappointing performance we have ever witnessed and that includes the entire 1979 season.

All that said, Billy Napier is a solid man and I speak at times with a very big booster and he has said nothing but great things about Billy as a person and a man. Current state of program started in 2010 when Meyer left. Slowly but surely Bama, Clemson, uga, TOSU to name the big ones of taken over the recruiting in our state. This did not culminate yesterday, it has been in the making for awhile. When your starting backfield and WR’s, and best players all come from the portal on both sides of the ball and you are the signature university in the most talent rich state in the country -.you have a problem that is not being addressed. One nfl draft pick this year and he was a transfer is all you need to say on the state of recruiting.

It does not matter how many facilities you build, NIL money you raise, presidents you hire, ad’s you hire, or coaches you hire or have on staff it will not improve until we get elite players that want to come to UF because we are UF and stay here to play for the great tradition. Otherwise, we are our wasting time and money. Our boosters and alumni will eventually stop putting their money into a zero return venture. Leaving Florida field yesterday was a sicken feeling. Find a proven head coach who can recruit and will sell the brand. It’s that simple.

Football Will the AD get fired before the HC?

This is the question I keep coming back to, since it’s clearly a “when” and not “if” situation with the current staff getting fired.

Who is going to be the one that gets to choose the next guy? I’m praying it’s not the guy who has a resume with two failed hires in a row and that reportedly didn’t bother even picking up the phone for elite options that reached out interested in the UF job this last cycle. And that doesn’t even get into all of the other issues that have happened under the current AD’s watch.

He’s gotta go and he can’t be allowed near the program while we are talking to our next options for football coach.

Football Offense is Mcelwain 2.0

In tight offense that invites multiple defenders to be at the line of scrimmage and in the box versus spreading teams out.

OL is not Bama or the 49ers which is what is required for this offense to be successful.

Graham while a great competitor, is the somewhat enhanced version Del Rio and Appleby. Not an elite playmaker at the position but a game manager. You’re going to more free rushers in this type of offense, so you need an athlete at the qb position who can improvise.

We had Boardingham matched up on DEs multiple times which resulted in a sack, TFL, and blown up plays.

While I think Napier is cooked, he has a chance with Lagway to realize the errors in his ways and go to a more spread based offense. That is what Florida football has won in the past. We apparently don’t have the money for 5 star OL, so neutralize that somewhat with spreading guys out, making it easier for OL to identify assignments and qb able to identify where rushers are coming from.

I don’t see Napier changing, I think he believes this style of offense is best which is baffling.
  • Like
Reactions: g88ter and Ldgator

Football My ramblings

Didn’t see that one coming. It was complete, unadulterated disaster.

We looked poorly coached. We looked timid. We looked unconditioned. We looked weak. We looked unprepared. We looked boring.

The best part of our squad today was our special teams. Read that again.

Best part of my day was the tailgate. Got to meet some of you which was a complete pleasure.

I don’t know where we go from here. I’m not gonna give up on the team, but my head has scars from all the scratching.

I hate Miami more than just about anything. Their fans are pieces of crap. To see those bowed up fans walking around our campus made me want to puke.

I don’t know where we go from here. But I know the status quo isn’t going to work.

KC

Football I am a sucker...

I don't think I am a bad fan because I wanted to root for the guy...I don't think you're a bad fan for your opinion either...I just wanted to wait ...

We got to that game yesterday and there was so much optimism, perfect weather, people being nice to each other... and actually excited...I'm a sucker.
There were at least 85 thousand other suckers there too it seemed...BCN finally had the chance to win us all over...just play well...it's been three years ...coaches develop talent...it's time...

I personally did not think this Miami team was as good as the Utah team we played two years ago in BCN's first game and we beat them...he had a year to get us ready...the game was understood to be too important ...I was ready to fall in love with the Gators again...so were 90 thousand other Gator fans...I wanted to drink the koolaid...I wanted to pump sunshine...anyway...it was the first time he would have the same QB for a second year...how could we not be ready? BCN gave us NOTHING!...

For the first time in my memory the team came out from halftime and the crowd literally did not acknowledge them at all...I don't mean silence ...I mean disinterest...nothing...

It got worse...and worse...I can't believe they had the balls to play Tom Petty...the Miami players were mocking our team during that song...I would have skipped it because it was B/S...at that point...

Well, ....how COULD we not be ready? I'm a sucker...

Disappointment is way worse than anger...If you haven't been mad ..some of you at least "write mad".... but I'm sadly disappointed...he had us all ready to go all in...and a year to prepare...I couldn't believe what I was watching...

I think Johnson's long run ...in the end ...was the worst play of the game because I believe it gives BCN a false confidence and he thinks he can still run this horrible whatever you call it offense...

I am a sucker...a disappointed sucker...

Football The only way forward…

Is to demand Callaway call plays and turn DJ loose.
We can’t afford a buyout.
We have all said “we NEED Napier to work” because of don’t have the $$
Recruits have said they love Napier just need to see a better product on the field.
As another poster said perfectly “the most important game in the most important season” and that was the product?
Let them see Callaway & DJ

Football Nearly came to tears watching the replay : on a serious note

Just a sad Gator.. nearly came to tears watching the replay..

I was here in the stands in 1979

When we were 0-10-1 ..

What I saw yesterday was the same thing I saw in79

I thought those days were long over..

Obviously things can turnaround with the right guy at the helm but the discrepancy in tallent is what I find most alarming..

Addressing the big elephant in the room :it takes lots of money to do what Miami did

If I was Elon Musk I’d buy us out of this mess.. but I’m not.. I hope some of the big money people who don’t want to pay players will come to their senses because that’s the only way I see out of this hole

I sent thanks to our insiders for being so reasonable like they always are with their posts and for what you and what SR do for the program.. this has to feel like having a gut punch over and over

I’m praying for our program and our players

**** Jason I finally learned to put a header with this post

Football Nvm

just had this sad thought, that piles onto the misery we’ve all been dealing with.

Has a coach ever been hired, and then had less wins every year he coached a team that you can remember?

2022- 6-7. 6 wins and lost the bowl game

2023 - 5-7. 5 wins and missed out on a bowl

2024- with how we look and how the schedule looks, very real possibility of less than 5 wins this year. That would shake out that we won less games every passing year in the Napier tenure.

I can’t think of an example off the top of my head where that’s happened before
  • Sad
Reactions: whisky gator

Football Some thoughts after taking time off

I needed a break from this program and took one literally until attending the game yesterday. This is my 40th straight year of having season tickets and if not for wanting my kids to have the same memories I did growing up, last year would have been my last. Watching this team play makes me feel and act in a way I just simply don’t want to any more.

That being said, I have a few rambling thoughts.

I have had this irrational thought the last couple years that teams “know our signs”. Miami and defenses in the past seem to know our play calls. It’s as if they are in the huddle. Run plays on passing downs and passing plays on running downs are all perfectly defended. Even one of Mertz better completions yesterday was to a WR that had 3 defenders on him that just happened to get open.

There’s two options here. Teams really do know our signs. Or Billy is running an offense and scheme that is better fit for 5a HS football. I’ll let you decide

I don’t understand what we are doing from a lineup and talent evaluating side. This is no disrespect but how have we not found a better deep threat to start at WR than Jackson? What are we doing in the offseason? Same goes for the DL. We have 3rd tier portal guys that no other legit programs wanted enough to sign.

Either Billy and everyone are just really bad talent evaluators or just flat out liars. There’s no way you could have watched this team we fielded yesterday all spring and summer and thought we were ready to compete with average SEC teams. I’m not sure which is worse.

Let’s go back in time. Imagine Billy Gonzalez taking a HC job like Georgia Southern and having huge success. Would you have been nervous about him taking the UGA job? That’s about how our rivals have thought this entire time about this hire. No one feared it.

I have been very pessimistic about our football program as a whole and whether these last several years are just who we are going to be. The only thing keeping me from completely losing hope (ironically) is the admins inability to hire a big time coach and continue with the unproven guys. None of their hires have gone on to do anything worth noting as a HC. The ultimate test imo would be Lane Kiffin. He has Ole Miss as a legit playoff contender. If he came to UF and we continued to be a .500 team then it just is what it is. At this point, it’s the only hire that makes sense. No one else who is doing what he is doing is going to come. Everyone has money but only one coach has the ego to take over this dumpster fire and turn it around. Hes also likely the only one who could keep the players we want around.

We have reached a very very bad time with the fanbase and boosters that make change inevitable. It’s turning from anger to no longer caring. I’m very anxious to see the attendance from here out. There’s still slight hope from the Orange and Blue glass that I still own that it’s only game 1 but I didn’t see a single thing yesterday to make me think anything will change.

If we are being honest with ourselves we aren’t much of a powerhouse without a hall of fame coach and a Heisman type QB at the same time. We have the potential to have one of those things now. We better move fast to add the other.
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT