My Fear Moving Forward for the Team (11/3)
No one can question the heart & fight of this team the "last" few weeks; prior to that, sure 100% you could, and most of you did, and rightfully so. However, I fear DJ Lagway's injury was caused by the straw that broke Camel's back. There is a sense of "you gotta be kidding me with this," and I am not sure this is something they can overcome.
Some will say, but after the injury, they fought like hell. I will tell you positively that you are correct, and they did. When the entire team came out to the field to speak to him on the cart, I believe the team rallied behind that injury and played at an emotional high that will be difficult to sustain over the remainder of the season. Of course, I do not know if my assumption is accurate. It will not be until they kick off in Austin that I can see if they are playing with the same desire as they did vs. Georgia.
Years ago, I did some work (3 years worth) with a couple of gentlemen on a TV show I produced. One of them was a guy Vegas would call when setting CFB lines. I learned so much from this guy, and it was unbelievable. It was all about good plays, bets, when, who to bet, and why to bet on specific teams. There is an entire formula those guys use, and I was shocked at the amount of detail and the quantity of things they looked at for these plays.
One of them was the dreaded "trap" game. Those of you that bet understand what I am talking about. A team can get to that maximum emotional level for a football game only a few times a year, and it almost never happens in back-to-back weeks. I could list 100 examples of these instances, but I am sure you understand what I mean.
Whatever level Florida reached after the DJ Lagway injury is a level I am not sure they will be able to reach the rest of the season, minus, say, playing your arch-rival Florida State on the road. While the unfortunate Lagway injury gave them an extra shot of adrenaline on Saturday, I am fearful that they have come back to reality, and the wind has been taken entirely out of the sails—just something to think about the rest of the way. By the way if Lagway has a torn hamstring the recovery time is not good! It could be three to six months just to recovery from that type of a surgery or worse depending on how bad it actually is. Hoping for the best.
