Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Florida State

[EyeDocGator]

I'm sorry if this offends, but I just think we are seeing Mac at his best right now.

Uh Oh!

Watching these games is not a lot of fun. I agree that going for it on 4th and goal from the 2 on the first drive was silly. The team needed to score and take a lead. The only message I heard was that Mac is not a good game day manager. We also punted from midfield. It's time to let Eddy take a shot at a long field goal. What do we have to lose?

Appleby passes long the way I play golf. Plenty of distance, but rarely on the fairway. Cleveland should have had a couple of touchdowns. This could have been a different game.

Okay. I've vented.

 

[GMDGator]

ho hum

 

[Chomper]

Pitiful Gator performance ranks right up there with Arkansas game, but being f$u makes it even worse. And what really irks me is seeing how Vandy performed vs. Tenn.; and how Miss St did vs. Ole Miss. Miss State has had a tough year., but manned up against their in-state rivals. Vandy not only beat the Champions of LIFE but were also the only SEC East team to go 2-0 vs. the West. Vandy has made considerable progress throughout the year with good coaching and player development. We don't have those things now at UF and will never have with this staff.

 

[jmskjrgator]

When you don't convert one third down and haven't scored a td on your biggest rival in two years, you are at rock bottom. There was a time to fire WM and he wasn't. The fans suffered some unnecessary misery. To put the fans through that again is unthinkable. This guy is a joke. The assistant coaches we have now are worse than WM's bunch. One thing that spoke volumes was he replaced no assistant coaches this past year. There is one thing for sure, we can't hire a coach more inept than we now have. If he is a real AD, he's looking for a new hire. If his alarm hasn't gone off, we're in a mess for the next 5 or 6 years.

 

[EyeDocGator]

There is one thing for sure, we can't hire a coach more inept than we now have.

You wanna bet?

 

[NavetG8r]

I still believe we are playing with house money.

Our O-line is still new and our entire offense is underclassman.

We need to wait for a MAC recruited QB to get up to speed.

We have played on the road in 6 of our last 8 games. If nothing else, that will prove well for next year's team.

I agree with a lot you say here Homer, but I feel like Mac is on a very very short leash now because one thing is for certain, the two QBs he's marched out there this year have both been pretty bad with the single exception being the UK game. Two young Freshmen have rode the pine all year without even one opportunity to show if they can be a play maker or not. Not even ONE chance! How can you refuse to try something different when it's obvious what you have isn't working? I just don't get it.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

When you don't convert one third down and haven't scored a td on your biggest rival in two years, you are at rock bottom. There was a time to fire WM and he wasn't. The fans suffered some unnecessary misery. To put the fans through that again is unthinkable. This guy is a joke. The assistant coaches we have now are worse than WM's bunch. One thing that spoke volumes was he replaced no assistant coaches this past year. There is one thing for sure, we can't hire a coach more inept than we now have. If he is a real AD, he's looking for a new hire. If his alarm hasn't gone off, we're in a mess for the next 5 or 6 years.

Actually, he did replace the DB coach but I agree that there should have been a couple more.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I have a serious question for the group.

Do you believe that there is any real discussion at the highest levels about Mac's future or are we kidding ourselves and he is on the 4-5 year program?

I would like to think that Mac is aware that the clock is ticking but I have lost all confidence in this athletic program so I really don't know.

Three more years of this and we are on our way to the football witness protection program.

 

[PaterLacerta]

There's a reason we picked up Del Rio and Appleby as transfers and it wasn't because they were going to bring in a winning resume. They were going to provide bodies to a group that had a redshirt freshman (that could play a little, as we would find out, but was either pretty negligent or stupid), a Plan B guy we stole from F$U who never was nor would be a good fit on or off the field, and two guys incoming. Little did we know that we would rely on the two transfers to carry us this year. Now, they're good kids, but not the impact guy that a team competing for the SEC crown needs to run a productive, much less exciting offense that makes that goal reachable, especially with the rest of the offensive roster that surrounds them. We'd need offensive personnel (sans injuries) similar to Bama's for either of these guys to lead us to that promised land IMHO. Sad thing is, I'm not sure we've got one on the roster now that will be ready next year and the one recruited seems like a good leader, but the skill set is a little questionable, so he at best needs a year or two to develop. So it looks like we are back to square one at the QB position yet again. Or best hope is for the OL to really rise and stay healthy and for one of the RS Freshmen to take hold. And lest I forget...a new play caller and game planner seems imperative as well. Hate to say but right now I'm feeling like starving guy with $10 dollars at the casino trying to change my fortunes.

There's no doubt that the loss of Grier threw sand in the gears. So was Mac up to the challenge or just snakebit? I'm not sure at this point, but it sure seems that moving forward the fundamentals are lacking on the O side of the ball. Coaching, pure and simple. If he likes his job, Mac will need to do some shopping over the off-season.

 

[BNAG8R]

You get 3 years. When you take over a dumpster fire with decimated positions, and get a 6-year contract, you're given 3 years minimum to turn things around. And if I'm being objective, there HAVE been a few things moving in a positive direction. The young defensemen have surprised, and there have been "glimmers" on the O-line. Receivers are a strength, and the future of the secondary looks positive.

That said...a game like last night RUINS any momentum on the trail you might have had after LSU, and the ONLY way this turns around is getting top talent. We didn't have to win last night, but we DID have to compete, which we didn't do. Last night's game might have been the most damaging to Mac of any other. Unless we somehow find a way to be competitive this Saturday, our recruiting rank won't get better, and next year will be his last.

I'm hoping somehow we find a way to compete Saturday, and close with a surprising class, because I'm getting too fcvking old to start over again.

Go Gators!

 

[gardnerwebbgator]

You can't fire a HC that wins the East in his first two years, or else no name coach will consider UF as long as Stricklin is AD.

 

[G8trwood]

QB problems aside, go back and watch some of the end run attempts and the effort/technique on blocking. The pulling OL don't even make it to the play half the time, but their man does. That leaves TE and WR blocking, nuff said. Seems we need a lot tougher players at some positions with speed and agility. I do realize our rash of leg injuries is affecting the OL.

I would like to say that Brantley is really channeling his inner Bullard these days and his first step is impressive. With Scarlett, aside from running hard, he is really wrapping the ball up in traffic these days. So we have bright spots around, not rose or code brown covered glasses, just players or play calling letting effort speak for itself.

 

[BNAG8R]

Scarlett has been a stud when carrying the ball, but he was absolutely horrible in pass pro yesterday. Yikes...some of those replays of him standing behind the line while a blitzer blows by him on the way to AA is painful to watch.

Hell, Callaway even called out the blitzer to him as he was going in motion one play, and Scarlett was chasing butterflies like my daughter during kindergarten soccer instead of blocking the guy Callaway pointed to.

 

[LongTooth]

QB problems aside, go back and watch some of the end run attempts and the effort/technique on blocking. The pulling OL don't even make it to the play half the time, but their man does. That leaves TE and WR blocking, nuff said. Seems we need a lot tougher players at some positions with speed and agility. I do realize our rash of leg injuries is affecting the OL.

I would like to say that Brantley is really channeling his inner Bullard these days and his first step is impressive. With Scarlett, aside from running hard, he is really wrapping the ball up in traffic these days. So we have bright spots around, not rose or code brown covered glasses, just players or play calling letting effort speak for itself.

the video breakdown of LSU showed Ivey making tremendous plays as a pulling OL. guess the injury killed his effectiveness.

sure wish caleb would pull a bullard and stay ....

 

[GatorJB]

You can't fire a HC that wins the East in his first two years, or else no name coach will consider UF as long as Stricklin is AD.

This is part of why Mac will be here next year. The other reason is the buyout they'll owe him plus whatever they still owe Muschamp. If he wins 7-8 games next year, then he'll get a 4th year. It sucks but that's the reality we face. We are stuck with this loser as our coach for awhile. All we can hope for is that he recruits well enough to give the next guy something good to work with.

 

[FireFoley]

BUTTERS!!!!!! that is all to be said about this performance. I was away and watching on a crummy TV, but the funny thing is that everything I made a mental notE of, you so eloquently mentioned Cover2. The one that you caught also was the FSU TD pass. when I saw the ball in the air, I said that should be picked. Well as I have said since RFN, our safety play is horrendous. I will not go on, but this is why records, numbers and stats can lie. Just watch with your own 2 objective eyes and all you can say is BUTTERS!

 

[rogdochar]

Gotta give our QB 5+ seconds to seek & throw. No QB is decent with just 2 seconds.
Then we need a QB who can decide quickly and fire it quickly.
We've got the RB-legs in Scarlett and Perrine. We've got several fine WRs.
But recruiters & coaches have not built or developed any adequacy for a whole team.??

Here is what GatorNation has not faced before:
We have nothing to look forward too?
The football team is in a hole and cannot even look up.??
Seems the point we're at, radical firings are in order out of this disorder?
Best move for Stricklin is to take serious steps to hook a failproof HC-CEO. Get started now !!

 

[T REX]

You get 3 years. When you take over a dumpster fire with decimated positions, and get a 6-year contract, you're given 3 years minimum to turn things around. And if I'm being objective, there HAVE been a few things moving in a positive direction. The young defensemen have surprised, and there have been "glimmers" on the O-line. Receivers are a strength, and the future of the secondary looks positive.

That said...a game like last night RUINS any momentum on the trail you might have had after LSU, and the ONLY way this turns around is getting top talent. We didn't have to win last night, but we DID have to compete, which we didn't do. Last night's game might have been the most damaging to Mac of any other. Unless we somehow find a way to be competitive this Saturday, our recruiting rank won't get better, and next year will be his last.

I'm hoping somehow we find a way to compete Saturday, and close with a surprising class, because I'm getting too fcvking old to start over again.

Go Gators!

Recruits are looking to jump ship as we speak. We lost our best DT prospect as he left for Penn State. Not sure where you get the future secondary looks good as Tabor and Wilson are gone gone gone.

We've fallen to 25th on Rivals and sinking fast. Recruits are wavering. But hey we're going to ATL and "that's pretty cool".

 

[stephenPE]

Has the fat lady sung, yet? The Penn St kid was probably a yankee anyway that wants to stay home.

 

[T REX]

Has the fat lady sung, yet? The Penn St kid was probably a yankee anyway that wants to stay home.

When you lose your best DT recruit at the biggest position of need...it's ok to be pissed.

Yeah, we didn't want him anyway. BS. At some point, can you make this staff accountable for anything? Let me know.