Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Florida State

[Rick Schulz]

I agree that Mac deserves more leeway, and he should get two more years with HIS QB,, but if the offense still is bad at that point and we're still losing to FSU ( very real possibility) it might be time for him to go. Also mac had more than what your saying on offense coming in. Fulwood and worton come to mind. They have potential yet have simply not been utilized you can't teach fulwood's frame he's a mismatch nightmare yet we never use him. Also we had another rb who played well in the bowl game adam lane yet mac kicked him off. Also treon was not good, so why not try to put in jacob guy who at least has the frame of a QB that fits mac's pro style? bc it is obvious mac doesn't use many running plays for his QB

 

[Rick Schulz]

Agree...but will say this. The receivers are open. The issues are line and QB related. Not sure Summers is the best we can do at OL. We were smart not to burn the red shirt of Franks and here's to hoping he is being developed. I picked 9-3 as our record this year. Not a pumper just bleed bleed bleed orange and blue. I will pull for McElwain as long as Del Rio doesnt see the field next year.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

Mac should get canned after we get crushed by Bama. And then we should go get a big time coach. Enough of this playing in the minors garbage.

At least with Chump the hire made sense.

The chump hire made less sense than the mac hire...at least mac was a head coach and an offensive coach. Chump was a terrible hire all around on so many levels. We had an identity under Meyer and chump was the complete opposite of that that required a complete roster overhaul. We need someone here that really knows how to open up the offense and take advantage of our built in recruiting advantages. We are not bama and we need to stop trying to be. Zook, chump, and Mac are foleys image of UF football...not SOS or Meyer.

 

[SC Gator]

This is my first post and I copied this to post. I have been a Gator since 1966 when I attended my first game at 5 years old. I have seen the tremendous ups (sec championships, Nation titles, and games that make your so happy you can walk on air). I also witnessed first hand Fourth and Dumb, Run Lindsay Run, the choak at doak, Swindle in the swamp etc.

I am a former Ranger and a realist. The true question to me isn't whether or not McElwain can design an offense to win (he has done it in the SEC) .The better question is...can he recruit the athletes to do it.

There have been 3 issues that have handicapped this offense and Mac is fixing all of them.

The first and most important issue is the quarterback position. Mac inherited Treon and PED. I don't care how good of a coach you are, you're not beating the top teams with Treon under center. You can't coach height and ability.

A poster on another thread stated that other teams were doing fine with freshmen quarterbacks. Alabama is certainly doing fine with a freshman. Of course, that freshman was rated the 3rd best dual threat QB in the nation and has 5 star talent all around him. Florida State has been up and down with their redshirt freshman (he sat on the bench last year and learned the playbook) who was rated the 3rd best pro style QB in the nation and 5 star talent all around him. Those are the only two positive examples I can think of.

Georgia, South Carolina and Ole Miss have not fared well at all with their freshman QB's.

McElwain began addressing this situation as soon as he arrived. He found two transfers to come play this season. He also recruited two very talented freshmen for next season. He already has one of the top ranked QB's in the nation coming in next year. In addition, he has the 4th ranked QB in the 2018 class ready to sign.

The second issue is the youth and inexperience of our players. Muschamp did not recruit well on the offensive side of the ball. When Mac arrived he had 6 OL, 1 RB, no WR's with ability and Treon. Mac had 2 months to put together his first recruiting class and he has had one class since then.

The depth chart against FSU featured 4 of 5 starting OL that were freshmen or sophomores, 2 of 3 starting WR's were freshmen or sophomores, the starting TE was a sophomore, the starting RB was a sophomore and the QB was the 2nd string transfer in his first season at UF. Brandon Powell and David Sharpe were the only two Muschamp recruits that started on offense. That clearly illustrates the extent to which McElwain has been handcuffed by the quality of existing personnel when he arrived.

The Gators started 13 underclassmen against the Seminoles. You can't coach experience.

The third and final issue is the recruiting. When Spurrier arrived in 1990 he inherited Shane Matthews, Errict Rhett, Ernie Mills, Harrison Houston, Aubrey Hill and a line that had been blocking for Emmitt for the last three years. Spurrier has always been very open about the fact that he inherited a lot of talent.

When Meyer arrived he inherited Chris Leak, DeShawn Wynn, Chad Jackson, Andre Caldwell, Dallas Baker and an experienced OL.

When McElwain arrived the Gators offense was a national laughingstock. There were videos of our players blocking each other on the internet and we had just lost to Georgia Southern despite the fact that they never completed a pass. No talented players wanted to jump into the dumpster fire that was the Gators offense. Seniors in high school had few memories of any Gators offense other than Muschamp's version.

Despite this disadvantage McElwain has brought in a lot of talented players. Once he gets a QB and players can see his full offense recruiting will solve itself.

The common thread with all three of these issues is that they simply can't be solved overnight.

You don't buy a new car because you ran out of gas and you shouldn't buy a new computer because you have a virus.

Mac is solving the problems. If we had a QB this season no one would be complaining right now. Mac has brought in young talent everywhere else on the offense. The receivers are running open. Once we have the right QB in place everyone will suddenly be happy.

Chris Peterson was 8-6 and 7-6 in his first 2 seasons at Washington. When he arrived in 2014 he inherited 2 sophomore QBs and 2 freshman QBs. He started a sophomore and lost a lot of games. In 2015 he went with freshman QB Browning and lost a lot of games. In 2016 he started Browning again and with a year of experience under his belt Browning is tearing it up.

The fans wanted to fire Peterson in 2015 because they had a great defense and a horrible offense. Peterson didn't forget how to coach, he just needed a QB.

Again, Mac is fixing the problems.

You clearly don't understand the purpose of this message board!!! Take you optimistic crap elsewhere!!

 

[LighthouseGator]

This is my first post and I copied this to post.

It's not really your first post then, is it?!?

Anyway, welcome aboard. Always good to have some optimism to balance the abundance of pessimism round these parts.

 

[NavetG8r]

Again, Mac is fixing the problems.

Thanks for joining and posting. Some of us appreciate some optimism around here. That said, while I don't totally disagree with the majority of what you said, I see absolutely no reason NOT to have started one of our 2 Freshmen at some point this season. There was plenty of evidence out there that LDR nor AA were ever going to be able to "carry" our offense on their shoulders. The only reason you start a more mature QB is because they're the obviously better option. IMO, and I know a lot of folks agree with me here, neither LDR nor AA have shown their "maturity" makes any difference what-so-ever. In fact, I'd venture that perhaps one of those two Freshmen might actually have a little something in the tank when the light's come on at the big stage level. And I'll add, there's no way to know if a kid has the "it" factor unless you let them play in live action. You can't find that out when they're sitting on the bench.

The USCe game was the perfect opportunity to find out if one of those Freshmen was a viable option. Instead, Mac decided to trot AA right back out there again, blowing his best chance to try some kind of change to see if it would give us a spark. That scares the hell out of me because it means one of two things. Either those two Freshmen (who Mac recruited) are absolutely horrible, or he is scared to take a chance, even when it's obvious to everyone else the QBs he keeps trotting out there do not have the ability to lift our offense to a higher level.

 

[gatormandan]

LDR better not be the starter next spring....

 

[rogdochar]

A hardy welcome Rick Schulz. Well reasoned post, Rickshaw. For the loyal time you've logged as a Gator fan,
you see things well - which adds to this board. Thanks & post whenever you can - negativity can surely
snowball downhill 'round here. :D

 

[T REX]

I think people are going to freak out when LDR starts at Jerry world next yr. Those of you still reading ole T REX heard it here first. There won't be a safe space left in Gator land.

 

[AugustaGator]

This is my first post and I copied this to post. I have been a Gator since 1966 when I attended my first game at 5 years old. I have seen the tremendous ups (sec championships, Nation titles, and games that make your so happy you can walk on air). I also witnessed first hand Fourth and Dumb, Run Lindsay Run, the choak at doak, Swindle in the swamp etc.

I am a former Ranger and a realist. The true question to me isn't whether or not McElwain can design an offense to win (he has done it in the SEC) .The better question is...can he recruit the athletes to do it.

There have been 3 issues that have handicapped this offense and Mac is fixing all of them.

The first and most important issue is the quarterback position. Mac inherited Treon and PED. I don't care how good of a coach you are, you're not beating the top teams with Treon under center. You can't coach height and ability.

A poster on another thread stated that other teams were doing fine with freshmen quarterbacks. Alabama is certainly doing fine with a freshman. Of course, that freshman was rated the 3rd best dual threat QB in the nation and has 5 star talent all around him. Florida State has been up and down with their redshirt freshman (he sat on the bench last year and learned the playbook) who was rated the 3rd best pro style QB in the nation and 5 star talent all around him. Those are the only two positive examples I can think of.

Georgia, South Carolina and Ole Miss have not fared well at all with their freshman QB's.

McElwain began addressing this situation as soon as he arrived. He found two transfers to come play this season. He also recruited two very talented freshmen for next season. He already has one of the top ranked QB's in the nation coming in next year. In addition, he has the 4th ranked QB in the 2018 class ready to sign.

The second issue is the youth and inexperience of our players. Muschamp did not recruit well on the offensive side of the ball. When Mac arrived he had 6 OL, 1 RB, no WR's with ability and Treon. Mac had 2 months to put together his first recruiting class and he has had one class since then.

The depth chart against FSU featured 4 of 5 starting OL that were freshmen or sophomores, 2 of 3 starting WR's were freshmen or sophomores, the starting TE was a sophomore, the starting RB was a sophomore and the QB was the 2nd string transfer in his first season at UF. Brandon Powell and David Sharpe were the only two Muschamp recruits that started on offense. That clearly illustrates the extent to which McElwain has been handcuffed by the quality of existing personnel when he arrived.

The Gators started 13 underclassmen against the Seminoles. You can't coach experience.

The third and final issue is the recruiting. When Spurrier arrived in 1990 he inherited Shane Matthews, Errict Rhett, Ernie Mills, Harrison Houston, Aubrey Hill and a line that had been blocking for Emmitt for the last three years. Spurrier has always been very open about the fact that he inherited a lot of talent.

When Meyer arrived he inherited Chris Leak, DeShawn Wynn, Chad Jackson, Andre Caldwell, Dallas Baker and an experienced OL.

When McElwain arrived the Gators offense was a national laughingstock. There were videos of our players blocking each other on the internet and we had just lost to Georgia Southern despite the fact that they never completed a pass. No talented players wanted to jump into the dumpster fire that was the Gators offense. Seniors in high school had few memories of any Gators offense other than Muschamp's version.

Despite this disadvantage McElwain has brought in a lot of talented players. Once he gets a QB and players can see his full offense recruiting will solve itself.

The common thread with all three of these issues is that they simply can't be solved overnight.

You don't buy a new car because you ran out of gas and you shouldn't buy a new computer because you have a virus.

Mac is solving the problems. If we had a QB this season no one would be complaining right now. Mac has brought in young talent everywhere else on the offense. The receivers are running open. Once we have the right QB in place everyone will suddenly be happy.

Chris Peterson was 8-6 and 7-6 in his first 2 seasons at Washington. When he arrived in 2014 he inherited 2 sophomore QBs and 2 freshman QBs. He started a sophomore and lost a lot of games. In 2015 he went with freshman QB Browning and lost a lot of games. In 2016 he started Browning again and with a year of experience under his belt Browning is tearing it up.

The fans wanted to fire Peterson in 2015 because they had a great defense and a horrible offense. Peterson didn't forget how to coach, he just needed a QB.

Again, Mac is fixing the problems.

Rick,

I agree in large part, but there are a few things that give me pause...
1) Inability to put some type of offense together as the year progressed based on why tools we do have. We are just too inconsistent.
2) failure to try one of the freshman at QB. (I am on the fence a little here if the OL performance was not there and would cause them to lose their confidence....however, they have to overcome adversity...thinking of Driskel and Harris...)
3) the lack of positive recruiting so far this year.

 

[FireFoley]

This is my first post and I copied this to post. I have been a Gator since 1966 when I attended my first game at 5 years old. I have seen the tremendous ups (sec championships, Nation titles, and games that make your so happy you can walk on air). I also witnessed first hand Fourth and Dumb, Run Lindsay Run, the choak at doak, Swindle in the swamp etc.

I am a former Ranger and a realist. The true question to me isn't whether or not McElwain can design an offense to win (he has done it in the SEC) .The better question is...can he recruit the athletes to do it.

There have been 3 issues that have handicapped this offense and Mac is fixing all of them.

The first and most important issue is the quarterback position. Mac inherited Treon and PED. I don't care how good of a coach you are, you're not beating the top teams with Treon under center. You can't coach height and ability.

A poster on another thread stated that other teams were doing fine with freshmen quarterbacks. Alabama is certainly doing fine with a freshman. Of course, that freshman was rated the 3rd best dual threat QB in the nation and has 5 star talent all around him. Florida State has been up and down with their redshirt freshman (he sat on the bench last year and learned the playbook) who was rated the 3rd best pro style QB in the nation and 5 star talent all around him. Those are the only two positive examples I can think of.

Georgia, South Carolina and Ole Miss have not fared well at all with their freshman QB's.

McElwain began addressing this situation as soon as he arrived. He found two transfers to come play this season. He also recruited two very talented freshmen for next season. He already has one of the top ranked QB's in the nation coming in next year. In addition, he has the 4th ranked QB in the 2018 class ready to sign.

The second issue is the youth and inexperience of our players. Muschamp did not recruit well on the offensive side of the ball. When Mac arrived he had 6 OL, 1 RB, no WR's with ability and Treon. Mac had 2 months to put together his first recruiting class and he has had one class since then.

The depth chart against FSU featured 4 of 5 starting OL that were freshmen or sophomores, 2 of 3 starting WR's were freshmen or sophomores, the starting TE was a sophomore, the starting RB was a sophomore and the QB was the 2nd string transfer in his first season at UF. Brandon Powell and David Sharpe were the only two Muschamp recruits that started on offense. That clearly illustrates the extent to which McElwain has been handcuffed by the quality of existing personnel when he arrived.

The Gators started 13 underclassmen against the Seminoles. You can't coach experience.

The third and final issue is the recruiting. When Spurrier arrived in 1990 he inherited Shane Matthews, Errict Rhett, Ernie Mills, Harrison Houston, Aubrey Hill and a line that had been blocking for Emmitt for the last three years. Spurrier has always been very open about the fact that he inherited a lot of talent.

When Meyer arrived he inherited Chris Leak, DeShawn Wynn, Chad Jackson, Andre Caldwell, Dallas Baker and an experienced OL.

When McElwain arrived the Gators offense was a national laughingstock. There were videos of our players blocking each other on the internet and we had just lost to Georgia Southern despite the fact that they never completed a pass. No talented players wanted to jump into the dumpster fire that was the Gators offense. Seniors in high school had few memories of any Gators offense other than Muschamp's version.

Despite this disadvantage McElwain has brought in a lot of talented players. Once he gets a QB and players can see his full offense recruiting will solve itself.

The common thread with all three of these issues is that they simply can't be solved overnight.

You don't buy a new car because you ran out of gas and you shouldn't buy a new computer because you have a virus.

Mac is solving the problems. If we had a QB this season no one would be complaining right now. Mac has brought in young talent everywhere else on the offense. The receivers are running open. Once we have the right QB in place everyone will suddenly be happy.

Chris Peterson was 8-6 and 7-6 in his first 2 seasons at Washington. When he arrived in 2014 he inherited 2 sophomore QBs and 2 freshman QBs. He started a sophomore and lost a lot of games. In 2015 he went with freshman QB Browning and lost a lot of games. In 2016 he started Browning again and with a year of experience under his belt Browning is tearing it up.

The fans wanted to fire Peterson in 2015 because they had a great defense and a horrible offense. Peterson didn't forget how to coach, he just needed a QB.

Again, Mac is fixing the problems.

I enjoyed reading your post and you make some fine points, but since this board is opinion based, I happen to disagree vehemently with the 2 things I placed in BOLD: Mac is solving/fixing the problems. Mac is creating bigger problems by showing that he has no idea how to manage a game. it does not matter your talent level, managing a game and making decisions is based on what you have, not what you don;t have. His ability to call plays would not change with greater talent, he just stinks at managing a game. I remember Brian Kelly at ND saying not long after he arrived the following: "I have to go recruit for defense. We are void in that area. I am not worried about offense. I can manufacture offense.". And for the most part he did in those first 2 years with very little talent on offense. Well Mac said the same thing when he said his own DOG could play QB for him and be successful. Mac just sux balls as a head coach. it is not hard to see. Regardless of the talent, when after 20+ games there has been exactly ZERO improvement on a somewhat weekly basis is all I need to see. His game management skills are, have been and always will be Horrendous. That skill is not talent based, it is innate!