A Few More Thoughts On Why We Are Where We Are...

[cover2]

I've been thinking and reading quite a bit about our football program and the current state of affairs, as have many others, trying to make sense of it and hoping to see where we are heading and if it will be better or worse. No shocker here, but it all starts with Mac and the questions have to be how could a guy with a reputation as being knowledgeable and competent where offensive football is concerned be so...bad, and how can a guy that's got what should be his dream HC job seem so oblivious to the need for the players to give great effort for an entire game and the coaches to be able to adjust in-game? Here's what I'm thinking:

• Part of me thinks that Mac has bought in to the new way of leading at some point in his HC career, which is actually facilitating or guiding with a lot of the choices and decisions being made in committee fashion. This probably isn't a bad approach when it comes to things like choosing what the menu for the pre-game meal is going to be, what uniform combinations are to be worn, and what kind of snacks that are available in the Football compound. How hard they work, how much effort they are required to give, and the room for mistakes and expected corrections have to be non-negotiable. Winning football, especially in the SEC, isn't going to work any other way. I may be dead wrong about Mac's approach in these areas, but his paint on the canvas shows me otherwise. The only choice where work, effort, and mistakes are concerned has to be get it done or we'll fire you and find somebody who can do so. You can stay on the team and become better and more dependable and maybe earn some playing time back, but it isn't free. I just have a hard time seeing Mac doing this now or becoming this way in the near future. Hurt feelings heal stronger, but I don't think Mac's got it in him to be the guy who hurts them when needed. That bit with Kelvin Taylor last season seems more dog and pony now than a coach making a point.
• I think also that the better football players probably see that Mac is more milquetoast than piss and vinegar and know that not only will they not have a chance to be on top of the SEC, much less CFB, and likely will not be trained or prepared as well for a possible professional career. I think the program, or what's left of it, still appeals to a lot of ok players, some who can eventually be good, but not the ones with the combination of talent and crap in their veins that want to and can be the best...and I think Mac is ok with that. The lessers are easier to coach and probably know all the words to some of the old beatnik tunes.
• Not being able (or willing) to adjust in-game is either just outright dumb or arrogant. It also may involve yanking some players that aren't getting it done, and that might hurt some feelings. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results only gets you more of the same, so I'm leaning toward dumb, or at least delusional. I cannot believe what I saw second half of the Tennessee game or from start to finish in Arkansas. Unacceptable is not a strong enough term and if there is any success from this point on this season, I'll probably be inclined to believe that it is more fluke than a change in ways of operating.

 

[ATXGator]

I think point three is arrogance. I think Mac thinks his scheme is better than what he sees and doesn't want to change anything because he thinks it will work. He is blinded by his arrogance, just like Muschamp was.

 

[RocketCityGator]

Well said sir!

 

[I Have No Friends :(]

The nice way to put this is simply that Foley chose another bargain coach and missed again. There's no excitement surrounding the program because our offense has been the cure for insomnia since 2010. People like to bellow and beat their chests about how defense wins championships, but offense is what puts the butts in the seats and keeps the buzz about a program flowing. At this point all we're doing is circling the drain until the inevitable. Go Gators.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I think point three is arrogance. I think Mac thinks his scheme is better than what he sees and doesn't want to change anything because he thinks it will work. He is blinded by his arrogance, just like Muschamp was.

This. Mac and Chump have different approaches in press conferences, but they exude snarkiness. Mushcamp was the midline, Mac is the constant choices garbage.

I think it is interesting that both these guys were around Saban for a long time, yet still didn't get the memo.

 

[EyeDocGator]

, and that might hurt some feelings

Even if he's not a good head coach, at least he would make a wonderful kindergarten teacher.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

but I don't think Mac's got it in him to be the guy who hurts them when needed.

This would probably make him a pretty good position coach or even coordinator......it doesn't work for HC's though where you have to be a leader of many, not just a few.

 

[EuroGator]

C2, I always appreciate your thoughts. It seems to me that you, like the rest of us, are just guessing here. The best thing you wrote, in my opinion is

"how could a guy with a reputation as being knowledgeable and competent where offensive football is concerned be so...bad, and how can a guy that's got what should be his dream HC job seem so oblivious to the need for the players to give great effort for an entire game and the coaches to be able to adjust in-game?"

I think it point to the fact that being a head coach of a big-time football team is a very difficult task. How many coaches are achieving what UF fans would deem acceptable? Very few. Look at how coaches in the NFL get shuffled around - after failing to meet expectations at one place, another place gives them a try because there are so few people who can even be real candidates for a job like that. Most of us can spot some mistakes, but we couldn't do 1/4 of the job that the real coaches do. ...that includes Zook, Muschamp, Mac, Richt, and Dumbo. I dunno, maybe we'd make fantastic bank employees.

Regardless, thanks for sharing your opinions.

 

[EyeDocGator]

Mac is more milquetoast than piss and vinegar

That wasn't the case last year when Mac berated Kelvin Taylor for a thoughtless penalty. Mac was severely criticized in the press and everything changed after that. The team initially improved, but the piss and vinegar disappeared. It's always easier to find a villain. Do we blame Mac. How about Foley? Maybe the problem is Fuchs; perhaps he is more concerned with PC image than winning football games. I know it's not Alfred's fault. Players need to be coached, so I'm not going to blame the players. I've seen this in the business world where a boss who wants to be liked allows employees to take advantage. This lowers morale for all employees, productivity drops, and departments become dumpster fires. Some people just shouldn't be bosses (or head coaches).

 

[cover2]

C2, I always appreciate your thoughts. It seems to me that you, like the rest of us, are just guessing here. The best thing you wrote, in my opinion is

"how could a guy with a reputation as being knowledgeable and competent where offensive football is concerned be so...bad, and how can a guy that's got what should be his dream HC job seem so oblivious to the need for the players to give great effort for an entire game and the coaches to be able to adjust in-game?"

I think it point to the fact that being a head coach of a big-time football team is a very difficult task. How many coaches are achieving what UF fans would deem acceptable? Very few. Look at how coaches in the NFL get shuffled around - after failing to meet expectations at one place, another place gives them a try because there are so few people who can even be real candidates for a job like that. Most of us can spot some mistakes, but we couldn't do 1/4 of the job that the real coaches do. ...that includes Zook, Muschamp, Mac, Richt, and Dumbo. I dunno, maybe we'd make fantastic bank employees.

Regardless, thanks for sharing your opinions.

Thanks and I agree that it is a difficult job. But there's a reason coaches do it that goes beyond a huge paycheck...it's about the competition and how you stack up against equal and maybe better opponents, how you can adjust from game to game and season to season, and, maybe most importantly this day and time, how well you can come back when you get your tail handed to you. I also agree that there a few bona fide candidates out there, but a ton that want the payday and the huge salaries and buy-outs mean that even if you lose and get fired, you're still a winner of sorts. Built-in obsolescence maybe? Finding the guy that can transcend all of this is getting tougher and tougher, but they're out there i think. Just a lot harder to spot. I don't think Mac is one of the elite. Nice guy. Probably could have made a fortune as Buffalo Bob years ago.

 

[GatorJB]

There's not much more to add. Well said Cover. Hopefully our next hire will not be a former Saban assistant. That's not working out for us.

 

[gators4224]

I think point three is arrogance. I think Mac thinks his scheme is better than what he sees and doesn't want to change anything because he thinks it will work. He is blinded by his arrogance, just like Muschamp was.

agreed. He's unwilling to change what's not working possibly due to him not wanting to admit his style is not working.

 

[deuce]

Since we're sharing opinions, I'll jump in.......

I think the single trait that can make a Coach Great is stubbornness! Having absolute faith that your way is the best way. All the Greats have this, Lombardy, Shula, Spurrier, etc........ Being able to stay focused when everyone is demanding change is a Talent that most don't have but that same stubbornness can be the kiss of death if you can't get your players to "Buy in" or you don't have the talent to implement your scheme.

When Saban got to Alabama, he didn't have the All World System he has now but he went out and got the Talent to compete. It's a process (even though many don't like that word) and the Great Coaches recognize their weaknesses and work to plug the gaps. Meyer did it here, Saban does it at Bama and Belichick may be the best ever at turning weakness into strength.

Muschamp was/is stubborn but he is damned by his inability to recognize his own weakness and unfortunately Mac seems to cut from the same cloth.

Great co-coordinators don't necessarily make Great Head Coaches.

Bottom line; Stubbornness can be a great trait if it's coupled with the ability to recognize shortcomings and then, fix them!
If not, failure is inevitable.

ie: Shula at Bama, Rodriquez at Michigan, Davis at Miami, Kiffin at UT, Kiffin at USC, etc.....

Great Schemes are useless without the proper players! (Quantity and Quality)

 

[T REX]

I don't think Mac is one of the elite. Nice guy. Probably could have made a fortune as Buffalo Bob years ago.

You are well respected on here. And even for me...it is really depressing to see that come from your keyboard. (huge sigh)

 

[rogdochar]

Well done C2. Another set of good observations with likely projections.
First trembling stanchion = HC Mac is coaching his coaches via non-commital committee method.
Less intensive, less incensed players are easier to "not-coach". Mac wants his "hands-off" coaching
to slide by all by getting all onboard the "well so it goes" outlook. That seems what we're seeing on
the field, what opposing coaches are beginning to scheme to dominate.

IMO, Mac's style is what opponents are dominating now and from here on.
This team's performances, this HC gives us too little to lighten up about.

From my non-book :
" That woman, who to enhance the sexual experience, fakes orgasm is an aphrodisiactor."

 

[GatorStud]

Thanks Cover for the second round of 'thoughts'. As we can see on the board this week, the way we lost to Arkansas has really raised our antennas for those who have followed Gator ball for a long time (watching College football for a long time specifically). Many of us, myself included, are not as astute as you (and the usual board suspects) in the Xs and Os part of the game, but our eyes don't deceive us. That's why I come here to get some technical and behind the scenes stuff. We have all seen in the sport enough poor "coaching", inept play and curious team identities. We have all been part of SEC and NC runs. You can see and actually feel the mojo of a successful campaign. My biggest concern (beside the mission critical low magnetism the program seems to have in recruiting) is this lack of Gator pride/60 minutes of controlled jail break energy/want to/everybody on the bench plugged into the game as much as the 1s on the field... loosely meant this year. I mean to me this is serious. If cell phones were allowed on the sideline, I truly believe half the players would be texting or gaming versus directing positive energy in a unified cause toward the field of play... biting at the bit for the call to go in and play. There are times our sideline is just apathetic compared to those days of championship play. I know when your a juggernaut, the bench is more active than when you're mediocre. This is when my mind 'remembers' that in the end of seeing such team/coaching stuff... the coach was a wrong choice and we end up having to search again unfortunately. I can't quantify my take per say; it's mostly qualitative observation, but it's disturbing to me. This apathy in games is not reserved only to coach Mac and players but the assistants who to some degree should be carrying the sense of urgency torch on the sidelines as if they were ready to hit the field. I don't know. I'm no expert, but if this is Macs coaching style to outcome, then, I guess I prefer a more General Patton approach to ball. Like you said, the Ballers who want to go Pro must be frustrated engaging poor game planning, marginal skill development and baby sitting those not plugged in or under-performing but still playing. The signs of internal problems not necessarily related to talent issues are here... poor energy, no adjustments, finishing strong and taking personal responsibility... yeah, that's staff not laying down the executive law on expectations when wearing the uniform. IMO, thanks.

 

[NCOGator]

I've been thinking and reading quite a bit about our football program and the current state of affairs, as have many others, trying to make sense of it and hoping to see where we are heading and if it will be better or worse. No shocker here, but it all starts with Mac and the questions have to be how could a guy with a reputation as being knowledgeable and competent where offensive football is concerned be so...bad, and how can a guy that's got what should be his dream HC job seem so oblivious to the need for the players to give great effort for an entire game and the coaches to be able to adjust in-game? Here's what I'm thinking:

• Part of me thinks that Mac has bought in to the new way of leading at some point in his HC career, which is actually facilitating or guiding with a lot of the choices and decisions being made in committee fashion. This probably isn't a bad approach when it comes to things like choosing what the menu for the pre-game meal is going to be, what uniform combinations are to be worn, and what kind of snacks that are available in the Football compound. How hard they work, how much effort they are required to give, and the room for mistakes and expected corrections have to be non-negotiable. Winning football, especially in the SEC, isn't going to work any other way. I may be dead wrong about Mac's approach in these areas, but his paint on the canvas shows me otherwise. The only choice where work, effort, and mistakes are concerned has to be get it done or we'll fire you and find somebody who can do so. You can stay on the team and become better and more dependable and maybe earn some playing time back, but it isn't free. I just have a hard time seeing Mac doing this now or becoming this way in the near future. Hurt feelings heal stronger, but I don't think Mac's got it in him to be the guy who hurts them when needed. That bit with Kelvin Taylor last season seems more dog and pony now than a coach making a point.
• I think also that the better football players probably see that Mac is more milquetoast than piss and vinegar and know that not only will they not have a chance to be on top of the SEC, much less CFB, and likely will not be trained or prepared as well for a possible professional career. I think the program, or what's left of it, still appeals to a lot of ok players, some who can eventually be good, but not the ones with the combination of talent and crap in their veins that want to and can be the best...and I think Mac is ok with that. The lessers are easier to coach and probably know all the words to some of the old beatnik tunes.
• Not being able (or willing) to adjust in-game is either just outright dumb or arrogant. It also may involve yanking some players that aren't getting it done, and that might hurt some feelings. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results only gets you more of the same, so I'm leaning toward dumb, or at least delusional. I cannot believe what I saw second half of the Tennessee game or from start to finish in Arkansas. Unacceptable is not a strong enough term and if there is any success from this point on this season, I'll probably be inclined to believe that it is more fluke than a change in ways of operating.

It paraphrase LBJ, "If Coach Mac has lost Cover2, Gator Nation has soured on Coach Mac."

 

[GatorTAG]

Very true about Mac as a person and a coach. But how did we end up with guys like Muschamp and Mac in the first place.

IMO, after the "win at all cost", and subsequent "broken program" of the Meyer years there was a conscious effort made by the administration to clean the football program up. That was the main direction given to Chump and what he claimed he did upon his departure. I think that is Mac's main task as well.

The administration at UF is much more concerned with the Academics and has made UF into a top tier university. They are no longer concerned with how well the football team is. Only that it doesn't give the school a black eye with dumb athletes getting arrested. My opinion is we have made a turn in this direction and it will make it much harder to compete for championships because our Academics standards will not allow us to get the type of players we used to get. Donna Shalala did this when she took over at Miami and you see how it has affected them We will be much more like Stanford, GT, or Note Dame.

Maybe we'll have competitive years every now and then but we'll never be on par with Alabama, FSU, Clemson or even Ol' Miss with the type of players we're willing to accept. I'm learning to accept that at least I lived through the Gators glory years. It's some our children and grandchildren will have to read about.

 

[TN G8tr]

Spot on Cover. I think one thing that needs to be looked at is the Mac-Nuss relationship. Are these two guys on the same page at all. I still go back to the first offensive play of the Arky game. You don't go empty back on the 10 yard line with a hobbling QB that has a weak arm in a hostile atmosphere. And against one of the worst rushing D's in CFB. I think it has more to do with what Nuss has done his last two stops. Nuss is game planning and calling plays. He's not the quality OC that you want. Friends or not Mac has got to do something and the buck stops with him. I am sure he won't publicly throw him under the bus, but it can get you fired. A more in tune OC IMO would help Mac's situation.

 

[EyeDocGator]

The administration at UF is much more concerned with the Academics and has made UF into a top tier university. They are no longer concerned with how well the football team is.

I'm happy to have the University become top tier academically. I'm embarrassed by some of our former football stars. However, I am emotionally committed to having a winning football team I can be proud of. It's not fun to root for mediocrity. All college teams are down sometimes. Then, things turn around and the team does well. If we purposely strive toward mediocrity things will never turn around (and seven years is starting to feel like never). Soon simply making a bowl game will be considered a good successful season. If that happens my emotional attachment to the team is likely to weaken.