... and I can only remember watching TWO offenses out of about 50 that didn't have a play in their scheme where they run a speedy little fast WR across the middle for an automatic 5-yard gain with potential for a big gain after the catch. And one of the two is Georgia, who has the defense and running game and tight ends to overcome it. The other is of course UF.
Likewise, 49 of those 50 offenses looked like they had some sense of urgency -- like they actually wanted to run more plays during the course of a game and like they knew their plays would work. Some of those teams utilized pre-snap motion, but it worked because they lined up quickly after the previous play and the opposing defense had no time to get organized. The one and only team who gave the opposing defense a full 39 seconds to set up and rest and substitute and prepare was of course UF.
So I went to YouTube and watched clips of Napier's offenses at Clemson and Arizona State and Louisiana and even at Bama when he was on the staff under OC McElwain... and saw the exact same thing. This is what Napier knows; this is all he knows.
He is obviously convinced that you can win Championships with a slow, run-first offense if you are well disciplined and have great special teams and a great defense... and bigger, stronger players than every opponent. And sure, it might be the case. Boring Bama did it when Napier was there, and Georgia will try to do it again for the second year.
But the reality... in this NIL world... is that to expect ONE team to ever again collect all of the best athletes AND have a veteran experience QB who can make it all work is extremely wishful thinking.
Hell, even Saban realized that this style was "outdated" a decade ago when he DIDN'T promote Napier to OC and let him leave. Saban went to up-tempo with mobile QB's like Tua and little fast WR's like Smith and Waddle... and their Championships kept coming.
So... where does that leave us? Expecting Napier to change his entire offensive coaching philosophy would be ridiculous and impossible. Under pressure, he would always gravitate back to his roots. It would take him forever to even learn the system, etc.
So he can either hire an OC to implement the modern offense (like TCU and USC have done to great success)... or he can AT LEAST find a way to incorporate some elements of it to expand the effectiveness of our offense and make it much less predictable.
Or we can just slowly plod along like an 1980's Big 10 team. 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Huddle up. Break an occasional long run. Etc.
AND... consider this: It is also obvious that all of those other teams have DEFENSES who get to PRACTICE against modern offenses... so they at least look capable of stopping them at times. We wonder why our defense looks lost every week? It probably has a lot to do with them never having even seen such a scheme in scrimmage, practice, etc. Never having to hurry and line up and get a coverage called.
So our lumbering dinosaur offense is handicapping our defensive training as well.
But this is what we hired. This is what we have. This is what we will live or die with.
Just cross your fingers and hope that Napier really is the evaluation and recruiting God that we are hoping he is. That is the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS for the next 5 months. After that... maybe our dinosaur will have a little more bite.
Likewise, 49 of those 50 offenses looked like they had some sense of urgency -- like they actually wanted to run more plays during the course of a game and like they knew their plays would work. Some of those teams utilized pre-snap motion, but it worked because they lined up quickly after the previous play and the opposing defense had no time to get organized. The one and only team who gave the opposing defense a full 39 seconds to set up and rest and substitute and prepare was of course UF.
So I went to YouTube and watched clips of Napier's offenses at Clemson and Arizona State and Louisiana and even at Bama when he was on the staff under OC McElwain... and saw the exact same thing. This is what Napier knows; this is all he knows.
He is obviously convinced that you can win Championships with a slow, run-first offense if you are well disciplined and have great special teams and a great defense... and bigger, stronger players than every opponent. And sure, it might be the case. Boring Bama did it when Napier was there, and Georgia will try to do it again for the second year.
But the reality... in this NIL world... is that to expect ONE team to ever again collect all of the best athletes AND have a veteran experience QB who can make it all work is extremely wishful thinking.
Hell, even Saban realized that this style was "outdated" a decade ago when he DIDN'T promote Napier to OC and let him leave. Saban went to up-tempo with mobile QB's like Tua and little fast WR's like Smith and Waddle... and their Championships kept coming.
So... where does that leave us? Expecting Napier to change his entire offensive coaching philosophy would be ridiculous and impossible. Under pressure, he would always gravitate back to his roots. It would take him forever to even learn the system, etc.
So he can either hire an OC to implement the modern offense (like TCU and USC have done to great success)... or he can AT LEAST find a way to incorporate some elements of it to expand the effectiveness of our offense and make it much less predictable.
Or we can just slowly plod along like an 1980's Big 10 team. 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Huddle up. Break an occasional long run. Etc.
AND... consider this: It is also obvious that all of those other teams have DEFENSES who get to PRACTICE against modern offenses... so they at least look capable of stopping them at times. We wonder why our defense looks lost every week? It probably has a lot to do with them never having even seen such a scheme in scrimmage, practice, etc. Never having to hurry and line up and get a coverage called.
So our lumbering dinosaur offense is handicapping our defensive training as well.
But this is what we hired. This is what we have. This is what we will live or die with.
Just cross your fingers and hope that Napier really is the evaluation and recruiting God that we are hoping he is. That is the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS for the next 5 months. After that... maybe our dinosaur will have a little more bite.
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