Watching UGA / Bama, I think it if it hasn’t already it should have dawned on everyone that Billy’s plan is for us to look like those two teams: effectively run-heavy with the goals of pounding their opponent into submission AND either maintaining a lead or staying within a winnable margin against equal / slightly better teams, throw game being more complimentary to an extent; defensively being superior on the DL and in coverages. Great template, not always exciting, but with superior personnel, disciplined but calculated coaching strategies, and solid special teams play throughout the seasons, high expectations are achievable.
Unfortunately, it is crystal clear that Billy overestimated both the depth and skill of the roster overall to include remaining talent and that which was brought in through recruiting and the portal vs that which was lost, but equally and maybe more importantly the serious lack of development at the hands of him and staff. The apologists, and I think you have to view Stricklin as a primary here, are basically telling us that we have to have a long-game approach, a degree of patience and at the end of the rainbow will be our pot of Bama / UGA gold. Big picture, unfortunately, is that immediately on the heels of Mullen’s final disaster and Billy’s inaugural 6-7 followed by 5-7 and no bowl and only a signature SEC win over UT, the long-game is out of the question. The future is now immediate or should be.
We’re seeing signs of decay with the upcoming recruiting class already. Lord only knows what Billy’s plan for the portal is going to produce (and take away), and questions about staff effectiveness linger amid two immediate defensive firings. All this swirling while we stare down the barrel of the toughest schedule in the conference if not nationally. I think at this point reality has set in for most and replaced any optimism that Billy and his attention to detail with all things programmatic engendered when he was hired. The outlook is at the moment quite bleak and it is hard for most, I believe, to see a great improvement on the horizon. The pisser is that once more it appears that we will be ushering in another reset, for what will be the fifth time since Urban Meyer. It’s hard to believe the high water mark in that span was two SEC Championship Game appearances (and losses) by McElwain. Certainly, there’s got to be better days ahead, but as previously stated, it’s going to take dynamic changes at player, coaching, and administrative levels for it to happen. I just hope I’m alive to see it! God speed, Gators!
As Bill Murray used to say in his SNL Lounge Singer schtick…”Don’t you ever die!”
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