To start, I was a bit more than disappointed that I hyped this game up for my son, with it being his first game in the SWAMP.
I’m going to be brutally honest here, I’ve been a huge Billy fan since he arrived. And I will still say that im only teetering on the support line. I’ve haven’t thrown in the towel yet.
This team today looked uncoached, unprepared, and definitely not motivated or dialed in. Mertz missed read after read, the defense stayed in zone allowing Miami to settle and pick apart the DBs, and the lack of overall grit pissed me off. I may be getting old, but there are few things that get under my skin more than a team that loafs, a team that just doesn’t seem to have a killer instinct. If you can’t instill that, it’s your job to recruit and nurture those killers on your team.
Our play calling was more than questionable, but if you tag that with the timing between Mertz and the receivers after an entire offseason, there’s not an excuse. Out “D” never made an adjustment out of zone, allowing Miami to settle and challenge all game long. This had the be the worst defensive performance and play calling I’ve ever seen. Simply stated, no excuse.
—— NOW ——-
Watching how Lagway was able to step in gave me hope. A defense can rally around an offense killing it. It’s contagious, it’s viral, it inevitable to be infectious. I’m not saying Mertz should no longer be a part of things, but after seeing his disconnect today, and seeing our young guy come in and fight, from an old war dog this is an easy decision going forward. I like what our RBs have to offer, and we’ve got players at WR, there’s no excuse for our miscues today.
This was a completely unprepared team, out played and gritted by Miami (embarrassing), but I’m not throwing in the towel. If Billy doesn’t make the right decisions and calls from here on out, it truly relies on him.
I still LOVE the team I always wanted to play for since I was a kid. If it took my life, I’d gladly trade it for one play in a Gator 🐊 uniform. I’d never look back. It hurts to see these players, who are coddled and have everything disrespect such a storied history.
Love you all my fellow 🐊 faithful.
Mike