Will we break this streak?

[GatorJ]

Young fella by the name of Joe Haden got torched in pretty much every single game his freshman year. Things turned out ok for him

Joe Haden was a top end athlete. Played quarterback at the highest level and was was one of the top recruits in the nation.

McWilliams was 150 pounds when he came on campus and was touted as an elite CB by our staff but nobody else. Developing low end talent is nice if you want to be Missouri. If you want to compete with the big boys you need to bring in elite talent

Maybe these guys pan out but we look like garbage right now.

 

[GatorJ]

Either you're happy with the direction of the program or you are not. Are you happy? I personally am not.

It's embarrassing really. This is what we used to mock FSU and Tennessee about. Anybody who is relentlessly defending the state of the program has completely lost it. It warrants every bit of criticism that it's receiving.

 

[SGG]

Either you're happy with the direction of the program or you are not. Are you happy? I personally am not.

I'm happy we won last week, I'll be happy when we win this week.

I'm not jumping for joy over the offensive production, nor am I about to kick the stool out from underneath myself with a rope attached to my throat.

 

[GatorJ]

I'm happy we won last week, I'll be happy when we win this week.

I'm not jumping for joy over the offensive production, nor am I about to kick the stool out from underneath myself with a rope attached to my throat.

Who's doing that?

 

[SGG]

It's embarrassing really. This is what we used to mock FSU and Tennessee about.

College football is cyclical, we should know this already. It isn't as if this university has always been a national powerhouse. I think we will be again, sooner rather than later.

There are highs and lows. Experiencing these kinds of lulls is what makes the good times that much better. Hell, just think back to last season and how we struggled against ECU and Kentucky, then came out and laid an egg for most of the game against Tennessee.

That last 8 minutes or so against Tennessee and the game that followed against Ole Miss is what makes watching your favorite team the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening.

 

[SGG]

Who's doing that?

Scroll through some threads, there are plenty of examples.

 

[SGG]

Joe Haden was a top end athlete. Played quarterback at the highest level and was was one of the top recruits in the nation.

McWilliams was 150 pounds when he came on campus and was touted as an elite CB by our staff but nobody else. Developing low end talent is nice if you want to be Missouri. If you want to compete with the big boys you need to bring in elite talent

Maybe these guys pan out but we look like garbage right now.

What does it matter if he was a top end athlete? He still got torched as a freshman, which was the whole point.

Here's a three star guy with about the same frame as McWilliams. He worked out ok I think.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/12367

 

[GatorJ]

What does it matter if he was a top end athlete? He still got torched as a freshman, which was the whole point.

Here's a three star guy with about the same frame as McWilliams. He worked out ok I think.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/12367

Don't know what else to say. You are on a gator fan message board. People are fanatical about their team. They get excited to watch them play. They want to watch a successful product. It obviously does not matter to many people. If the postings of passionate people are disturbing you guys so much why do you all read it?

That's what you're going to get on the message board.

 

[SGG]

Don't know what else to say. You are on a gator fan message board. People are fanatical about their team. They get excited to watch them play. They want to watch a successful product. It obviously does not matter to many people. If the postings of passionate people are disturbing you guys so much why do you all read it?

That's what you're going to get on the message board.

I see. Being passionate about not panicking is a bad thing, though. Got it.

I don't think you'll find a single soul on here who was pleased with the offensive output that was on the field last week, or from the second half of the season last year save for maybe the UGAy game. Obviously, Mac is judged by what's going on on the field, I get that. He's paid mightily for production, and we, as fans, demand results.

But FFS, man, it was game one of season two.

 

[oxrageous]

I see. Being passionate about not panicking is a bad thing, though. Got it.

I don't think you'll find a single soul on here who was pleased with the offensive output that was on the field last week, or from the second half of the season last year save for maybe the UGAy game. Obviously, Mac is judged by what's going on on the field, I get that. He's paid mightily for production, and we, as fans, demand results.

But FFS, man, it was game one of season two.

Only a small amount of this is over the performance against UMass. It's about recruiting. If Mac had been pulling in Top 5 classes, which is what Spurrier, Zook, and Meyer did regularly, the future would look bright. The fact is, it doesn't. It takes years to develop even the best athletes, and we simply aren't getting them. Florida kids are choosing either FSU or to leave the state. I never thought I'd see that happen.

Someone like Saban is a great coach, but even he needs great talent to win championships.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Young fella by the name of Joe Haden got torched in pretty much every single game his freshman year.

shaking my head

Either your memory or your analytical ability, or both, are terrible. That just isn't the case. Haden won all SEC as a freshman, I think, and was preseason all American the next year. You are trying to rewrite history I guess just to make yourself feel better.

Now Anthone Lott got toasted his first year, regularly. Maybe that is who you are thinking and your memory tricked you. He was before the star system but I think most would agree he'd be a 3 star. Not a hyped kid at all.

The bottom line is that 3 star U seems to look like 3 star U.


Your memory is worse than I thought. From Wiki:

"As a true freshman in 2007, Haden started 12 games at cornerback, missing one game due to an ankle sprain. He became the first true freshman to start a game at cornerback for the Gators on opening day, and finished the season with 63 tackles and an interception. He was recognized as a freshman All-American by the Sporting News and Collegefootballnews.com and was an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman selection.


You should stick with pumping MuskChimp

 

[SGG]

Only a small amount of this is over the performance against UMass. It's about recruiting. If Mac had been pulling in Top 5 classes, which is what Spurrier, Zook, and Meyer did regularly, the future would look bright. The fact is, it doesn't. It takes years to develop even the best athletes, and we simply aren't getting them. Florida kids are choosing either FSU or to leave the state. I never thought I'd see that happen.

Someone like Saban is a great coach, but even he needs great talent to win championships.

I don't disagree with anything you're saying here. I get all of that. We didn't become a national powerhouse overnight, and we won't this time around. Sure doesn't seem like it took very long for things to go south, though.

 

[Gator Fever]

What does it matter if he was a top end athlete? He still got torched as a freshman, which was the whole point.

Here's a three star guy with about the same frame as McWilliams. He worked out ok I think.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/12367

Do you think McWilliams is going to be a true freshman - freshman All American like Sherman?

 

[SGG]

shaking my head

Either your memory or your analytical ability, or both, are terrible. That just isn't the case. Haden won all SEC as a freshman, I think, and was preseason all American the next year. You are trying to rewrite history I guess just to make yourself feel better.

Now Anthone Lott got toasted his first year, regularly. Maybe that is who you are thinking and your memory tricked you. He was before the star system but I think most would agree he'd be a 3 star. Not a hyped kid at all.

The bottom line is that 3 star U seems to look like 3 star U.


Your memory is worse than I thought. From Wiki:

"As a true freshman in 2007, Haden started 12 games at cornerback, missing one game due to an ankle sprain. He became the first true freshman to start a game at cornerback for the Gators on opening day, and finished the season with 63 tackles and an interception. He was recognized as a freshman All-American by the Sporting News and Collegefootballnews.com and was an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman selection.


You should stick with pumping MuskChimp

There are some games that stick out in my mind from that year. Kentucky being one of them, Georgia and Michigan being the others, where Haden looked like a true freshman. Maybe you're just senile.

 

[SGG]

Do you think McWilliams is going to be a true freshman - freshman All American like Sherman?

No, he won't play as much as Sherman did, but that's also beside the point. Everyone keeps pointing to stars and recruiting. That was what I was saying.

 

[Gator Fever]

No, he won't play as much as Sherman did, but that's also beside the point. Everyone keeps pointing to stars and recruiting. That was what I was saying.

I get your point and its good to be positive to an extent.

 

[ATXGator]

How about having a competitive attitude? Winners never want to lose. And if Mac's attitude is being embarrassed on national tv is not a big deal, then he should be fired right now. Why bother to show up at then? Those kind of beat downs do have an effect on recruiting and the overall perception of how relevant a team is on the national scene.

You are comparing Mac to the kids. I think the coaches want to win, but I think sometimes the kids aren't motivated and focused and there is nothing you can do to get them motivated and focused.

Even the best coaches (Saban) have gotten killed in bowl games when their team wasn't motivated. It usually happens when a team is playing in a bowl game they feel is beneath what they deserve or where they expected to be.

 

[ATXGator]

I don't disagree with anything you're saying here. I get all of that. We didn't become a national powerhouse overnight, and we won't this time around. Sure doesn't seem like it took very long for things to go south, though.

I don't think anybody expects us to become a powerhouse over night, but we expect to see ourselves on the path to becoming a powerhouse and honestly... I don't see it.

Last weeks offensive performance showed no improvement, the offensive line was truly offensive. We won't see recruiting improve if that is the product we put on the field vs. UMASS. If we can't improve recruiting then we can't become a powerhouse. Our recruiting ranking last year was #14! There is no reason UF should ever be out of the top 10. There are two things we need:

1. Better performance on the field to give recruits confidence they can come here and have fun

2. The Athletic Department needs to finish and publish their master plan for facilities (specifically a stand alone football facility)

 

[Rentmoneygawd]

\

How about having a competitive attitude? Winners never want to lose. And if Mac's attitude is being embarrassed on national tv is not a big deal, then he should be fired right now. Why bother to show up at then? Those kind of beat downs do have an effect on recruiting and the overall perception of how relevant a team is on the national scene.

Can you provide a link where this attitude was displayed after the bowl game? I think I missed that. I would love to see it for myself so that I can join in on the conviction.

 

[GatorJB]

Either you're happy with the direction of the program or you are not. Are you happy? I personally am not.

It's still too early too tell for sure, but for now I consider myself happy with the "direction" of the program; however, I am unhappy with the current state of the program. I believe Mac has us pointed in the right direction, but the problem is that we are moving in that direction slower than we all like. I still think this could be a pretty good 10+ win year, but because of the lapse in defensive recruiting, next year will probably be a step back in spite of an improved offense. With solid recruiting classes here on out, 2018 and 2019 should be really good championship contending years. If not, then Foley was 1 for 4 in hiring head coaches.