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I know I’m taking a chance here, but if this in-fighting continues, I’m afraid we’re going to lose our forum that allows us to speak pretty freely on the Gators and sports in general and that would be a travesty. It’s alright to disagree, in fact it’s a healthy part of robust discourse. But when it gets to the point that we start threatening others, supposedly in the same camp, or continually running down the program beyond reasonable points and counter points and then egging things farther (which I know I can be guilty of), then basically we are becoming like the fans and programs that we regularly poke fun at. Maybe worse. The refrain has always been “players or anyone else of consequence don’t read what’s posted here.” Actually they do and I’m afraid what they read lately goes beyond just passionate fans peppered with smartasses (guilty as charged).
I’m not suggesting this place turn into a virtual be-in or love fest, but let’s consider dialing back some of the vitriol. This site is a gem and should be regarded as such. We don’t always have to agree with dissenting opinions, but they shouldn’t drive us to an apoplectic reaction either. We really have far more in common than not.
Thanks for your introspection. And in a moment of levity (which I hope doesn’t overwhelm the greater points), where would we go for our fix of Mom jokes, culinary braggadocio, obscure musical interludes, political shaming, and all things Gator as well as the sports world in general?
Let‘s not become what we frequently mock.
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Is the thread title a real question? I'm going to pretend that it is. I'll give you my interpretation of what's going on here. Buckle up.
GatorChatter was founded as a place where you could visit and hear it straight from very loud, obnoxious, and impassioned Gator fans. It didn't matter what your take was, it was welcomed to be shared (and then ridiculed) right along with anyone else's. It was the one place you could go to on the internet where you didn't have to worry about ownership and mods pissing on your leg and telling you it's raining. And then it happened.
We were entering yet another coaching change after Foley-lite bombed his first chance with Mullen. Amid whispers that a hayseed from north Georgia who Dabo Swinney jettisoned from his program for sucking out loud as an OC was on our radar, a very vocal crowd on GatorChatter began to murmur and complain (and then outright riot) at the prospect of hiring a Sun Belt coach with questionable success (remember, at this time he hadn't won an outright Sun Belt championship yet). Normally, this sort of reaction was not only accepted, but embraced. The common tactic in years past for those who felt the anti-Napier crowd was overreacting would have been to counter the arguments with stats, beliefs, and a heavy helping of mom jokes. Hell I was shocked once I realized our bovine in charge wanted this guy, as I never in a million years thought he'd get behind a guy who considered Coach McSharkbait his mentor. Regardless, many settled in to riot all the way to the announcing of the hire when something strange happened. This board suddenly turned into GatorCountry as mandatory mind camp sentences were tossed out for dissenters. Suddenly, it wasn't okay to colorfully vocalize an opposing view to the imminent hire; Napier was the man and by god we'd better fall in line and support the guy.
For most of the off-season we were all told about the wonders of this north Georgia genius. Just you wait, recruiting was going to change. Facilities were going to be upgraded. The support staff problem was going to be fixed. Most importantly, we were going to start winning football games again the right way. It was promised to be bumpy at first, but improvement as the season wore on would give all of us hope about the future. The final record wasn't important; it was the improvement that would prove the future was indeed bright.
So what happened? Well.. very little of what was promised. We did get a support staff in place, but you'd be hard-pressed to find out exactly where it helped outside of keeping this recruiting class together while we slid into ESD in a burning car with no tires. However, I do give Napier a ton of credit and kudos for fixing the living situation for the players. That was a huge upgrade and a much needed one. As for the rest? Yikes. There is no way to sugarcoat it; what us skeptics were promised and what was delivered would make even Wish.com embarrassed.
So to get back to your question, "What the hell's going on out here?"
What the hell is going on is the pushback that was suppressed for nearly a year, that's what the hell is going on. It's in GatorChatter's blood to be unruly; we were founded via unruliness. And yet for some reason we weren't allowed to be unruly when it came to this hire. I'm not blaming ox here; it's his board and he can do whatever he wants with it. I'll always appreciate and respect what he does here for all of us misfit toys to have a home. Still, all you're seeing play out here is Newton's law on a message board; the opposite and equal reaction is manifesting. With year one in the books, there is now concrete evidence to point at for both sides, and I don't think it takes a north Georgia genius to see which side has more evidence at the moment. All that being said, the pushback is only going to last for a short bit of time. Those who need to get it off their chest will, and then we'll all move on together. The great thing about hiring 4 duds in a row is that apathy sets in much quicker the 4th time around.
