Were Mac's critics right?

[MertzJay26]

Those who after year 1 said that Mac wasn't the guy? Or was it a lucky guess?

I tend to lean towards the latter. I don't see how there was anyway to know that A) Mac would be this poor of a recruiter and B) Mac would be this stubborn about keeping "his guys" as assistants.

Discuss.

 

[Gator Fever]

I think one of his issues was hiring Nuss as OC instead of going with the one he had at Colorado State who seemed to be more creative on offense. Just because someone had SEC experience doesnt mean they are a good choice.

 

[MertzJay26]

I think one of his issues was hiring Nuss as OC instead of going with the one he had at Colorado State who seemed to be more creative on offense. Just because someone had SEC experience doesnt mean they are a good choice.

Yup, definitely agree here. After year 1 it should have been telling enough that a change was needed. After year 2 it becomes unacceptable.

 

[gatormandan]

Now here is a subject we never discuss.

 

[CGgater]

I think one of his issues was hiring Nuss as OC instead of going with the one he had at Colorado State who seemed to be more creative on offense. Just because someone had SEC experience doesnt mean they are a good choice.

Well, muschamp has SEC experience! Oh, wait... ummm... nevermind.

 

[CU-UF]

Right, because everyone knows you make a real sound evaluation of a coach, with a winning record mind you, after a little under two years....

 

[GatorJ]

I tried to remain upbeat at the end of last season but by the end of the season I didn't think he was the right fit. One was his demeanor. And number two was his decision to stick with Harris no matter what. If he was really one of the worst QBs to ever strap up why would we keep him in? Any other QB would suffice. Hell maybe go to the wildcat. Anything to generate offense. It was a wasted chance for those seniors to go out as champions. And I thought the way that he handled The Grier thing was terrible.

 

[Doopree]

God this board has gotten so Toxic......

 

[MertzJay26]

Now here is a subject we never discuss.

You can leave this thread any time

 

[Slevin]

I think one of his issues was hiring Nuss as OC instead of going with the one he had at Colorado State who seemed to be more creative on offense. Just because someone had SEC experience doesnt mean they are a good choice.

Wasn't his OC at csu bitter about not being chosen too? I thought I remember him having some choice words once Mac left

 

[MertzJay26]

I tried to remain upbeat at the end of last season but by the end of the season I didn't think he was the right fit. One was his demeanor. And number two was his decision to stick with Harris no matter what. If he was really one of the worst QBs to ever strap up why would we keep him in? Any other QB would suffice. Hell maybe go to the wildcat. Anything to generate offense. It was a wasted chance for those seniors to go out as champions. And I thought the way that he handled The Grier thing was terrible.

I'm kinda in the same boat. I was optimistic all the way up until the Arky game (turns out LSU was fools gold). The Harris situation does look like stubbornness in hindsight, but I don't think he had much of a choice. I'm guessing Guy was worse and he didn't want to go spread option for 2 reasons-- 1) hard to change an offense halfway thru the season. 2) Can't run Treon much due to size.

As for Grier, we may never know what actually happened. Lot of "he said, she said."

 

[OcalaGator83]

I wanted to believe that he was just a victim of circumstances outside of his control and that Muschamp had so damaged the program that it was inevitable that we'd come crashing back to earth. However, the way the season ended really alarmed me, the subpar recruiting was alarming, and I came into this season wanting to believe but it was obvious right at the start of this season to me that he isn't the guy. Unfortunately he didn't do anything to change my mind, just reinforced all my concerns.

IMHO people either have it or they don't. Sure they can grow, but it really was more of the same this year as last year. Its not a stretch, nor does it take a leap of faith, to see the writing on the wall here IMHO.

 

[OcalaGator83]

The Harris situation does look like stubbornness in hindsight, but I don't think he had much of a choice. I'm guessing Guy was worse and he didn't want to go spread option for 2 reasons-- 1) hard to change an offense halfway thru the season. 2) Can't run Treon much due to size.

Was he worse than Harris? I'm not sure there's ever been anybody worse than Treon Harris was.

We'll never know because Mac never tried anything new.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

I was optimistic but by seasons end and the bowl game I was pretty concerned. Something didn't seem right, despite that I waited to see what happened this year and really thought we'd see marked improvement on offense. It never materialized. You can just sense when it's right, and also when it isn't.

 

[CU-UF]

All these zen masters

 

[gatormandan]

You can leave this thread any time

You can bite a big fat one. Now, on to all this brand new discussion....

 

[78]

End of year one was too soon, too many variables to consider. He walked into a mess offensively and had his starting QB crap the bed with no spare sheets. Year one wasn't telling enough, but year two recruiting was as well as various decisions made during the season. I want Mac to succeed, I really do, but I have doubts just like everyone else. We're stuck with him for year three, so let's hope he gets it together.

 

[BMF]

I commented over and over that "the jury is still out". For me, this year, there were tons of signs (that he was in over his head).....but when he let Del Rio start and play the entire 2nd half vs. Arkansas he answered it; he was lost.

Hell, I even said after Muschamp's 2012 season that the jury was still out due to the offense (and we all saw what happened in 2013).

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Those who after year 1 said that Mac wasn't the guy? Or was it a lucky guess?

I tend to lean towards the latter. I don't see how there was anyway to know that A) Mac would be this poor of a recruiter and B) Mac would be this stubborn about keeping "his guys" as assistants.

Discuss.

I know some people engage in hyperbole more than others, but have people really said definitively that McElwain is NOT the guy or has it been a degree of worry?

As for whether people with worries were lucky:

1. I think there were signs to worry when McElwain was hired. UAL coaches particularly at UF have a terrible track record. He won at CSU in part by getting a highly recruited RB who did not pan out at UAL transfer in to where he would be the clearly most talented player in that conference. Also McElwain did not have UF on his dream job list which was somewhat perplexing to at least me.

2. Despite winning the East in 2015 there were still worries. The offense imploded down the stretch though some wrote that off as the QB. More worrisome was his team letting little guys including FAU, including Vandy with the SEC east on the line hang around too long. Also ending the season with 3 straight blowouts was a concern.

3. Despite winning the East again in 2016 there were still worries. This time UF somewhat backed into winning the East. The offense was terrible again. Once again undermanned teams were in games against UF into the 4th quarter. And as we sit today he has had two season ending blowouts.

So I think those worried about whether McElwain is the guy were merely reading certain signs and were not "lucky." Of course the jury is still out on this and there are some signs on the other side. UF has not had a defensive slide under McElwain and there are those two SEC East trophies in the trophy case. Still I think the evidence is on the negative side, but it is not a sure thing either way.

 

[MertzJay26]

You can bite a big fat one. Now, on to all this brand new discussion....